Yana: Well, here it is! Here are the first chapters of my first novel ‘The Sapphire Tears Crown of the Immortal Dar’. If you wish to read it in another language, then check the Bulgarian version ‘Короната Сапфирени Сълзи на Безсмъртните Дар’. All drawings and the entire content are my creations (all rights reserved to Yana Axar). So read, enjoy, and check the page Hello! for information on where to purchase the book.

Day 1

In the darkness of the endless space, a sparkle is nothing, especially when compared to the stunning explosions of the massive stars. One tiny bright flare appeared and faded away in less than a second. Only one person with remarkable eyesight saw the sparkle, which flared at a distance of five days away with the maximum speed of the best spaceship in the known universe. This All-Seer was sitting on his comfortable chair in his office on the board of the fastest ship in Evalette. Even though he could order the captain to turn the ship towards the distant planet, he preferred not to follow the glare yet. The All-Seer’s sight crossed the vast space, focused on something amongst the thick plant life, and his breath stopped. He waited for so long to feel the presence of this soul.

“It is time for revenge,” said the man, and his smile made the darkness in his office tremble in fear.

***

The men stood still and tensed like strings in the middle of the room. They were not going to move until Hatra said so, and he had no intention to release them of his presence any time soon. To fill his time, the Commander did some paperwork and then turned to observe the 10,000 brand new cadets Class GW training outside of this window. The sight of the running uniforms brought back memories of the day when he received the first-class ‘Genetically Improved Warriors’ or GW. They all were the perfect result of a successful genetic experiment. The genetic material collected from the purest bloodlines of all races in Empire Evalette was improved by a dozen scientists. The result was soldiers who were better, faster, and stronger in any possible way. Officially, all genetically enhanced organisms and clones were illegal, and anyone who created, used, or bought them was prosecuted. Countless livestock specimens and plants were destroyed every year because of violations of this law. However, such a thing could never happen here because no one in the empire knew about genetically improved soldiers’ existence except for a few people in the Imperial Administration, Emperor Fenor Belfor, and the Military Advisor. Darsk was just another military base, and Commander Hatra – just another commander to everyone outside this circle.

Hatra’s thoughts jumped to his first walk around Darsk. This giant spaceship was equipped with the latest technology, and only Military Advisor Veles’ ships were better and faster. On Darsk, unlike any other military base, the support staff had no contact with the soldiers. The employees’ quarters and the operational systems spread over one-third of the ship. The employees’ rooms had two to four beds, a few shelves, and a washing room. The personnel recreation and physical training rooms seemed unnecessary to Hatra, but they were on every ship, so he could not object to them. The employees were free to walk around the base except for the areas reserved for the GWs. They could even have time off when Darsk was in the orbit of a planet or a space station.

Unlike Darsk employees, the soldiers from class GW rarely met anyone besides the medical personnel, trainers, Hatra, and secretary Satr. The soldiers’ dormitories were 50 huge rooms, but each soldier’s personal space was a bed and a shelf next to the showers, where they received clean clothes and towels each morning. To Hatra, the genetically created soldiers were just weapons. That meant that they must be kept clean, loaded, and ready for action at any time. They need no extravagances as personal belongings, personal space, or personal life.

When Hatra received Darks, he felt like he would never manage to get ahead of things. His worry vanished when the first GW arrived, and he officially became an essential part of Emperor Fenor Belfor’s staff. Hatra observed the arrival of the 10,000 genetically improved soldiers. They all were 10-year-old cadets who had never held a gun, but he intended to correct that as soon as possible. On top of that, they were fresh out of the incubating pods, which meant that some still had uncoordinated movements. During the last days in the pots’ basic information and standard behavior patterns were imprinted in their heads so the cadets can function adequately since their first day. The one thing the files could not prepare Hatra for was the diversity of the soldiers’ appearance. Most of the boys in uniforms had two arms, two legs, and one head. Everything was different in color, height, weight, facial features, skin type, eyes, and hair. Commander Hatra gave a short speech and explained the main rules: “Don’t kill without being ordered” and “Always follow your orders”, while thousands of eyes stared at him. His secret dream of thunderous applause remained unfulfilled. After all, that behavior was not expected of them, but anyone showing emotions would be punished. Hatra felt intoxicated with his greatness and ordered the first training day to begin.

Ever since the beginning of the project, Hatra enjoyed testing new ways to turn a colorful lot of younglings into an army of perfect killers. The losses of cadets, sometimes more than the expected numbers, were labeled in the archives as “bad genetic material,” or the blame for the failed missions was thrown on lousy equipment. When the number of cadets dropped under 2000, Hatra received orders for their education to include literature, science, medicine, and a dozen other subjects. The Commander doubted that the soldiers would have an opportunity to discuss poems from ancient scrolls during a battle. Someone else would probably ask questions about the reason for this advanced education, but Hatra did not care. The only thing that puzzled him was Military Advisor Veles’ personal training of the remaining 50 soldiers. Veles gave only two lectures in one of the training rooms. The themes were Evalette’s history and GW’s place in the empire’s future. Hatra and his senior staff also attended, but he did not care to understand or remember anything because he always thought those lectures were a pointless waste of time. Besides, he had no desire to be near one of Them, and he was horrified whenever Military Advisor Veles inspected Darsk.

Commander Hatra’s feelings were completely different when Emperor Belfor came for a personal check-up of the soldiers’ progress. The last visit was nine days ago, and the emperor arrived accompanied by Military Advisor Veles and few other Imperial Advisors. Hatra took them for a walk around Darsk, and they remained pleased. At one point, the emperor started asking questions about the expenses, and Hatra got scared that the money he put in his pockets will be discovered. His fear vanished when Belfor changed the subject at the end of the soldiers’ demonstration.

“Only seven remained alive out of 10,000,” noted Emperor Belfor, looking at the short line of tired men.

“They are the best,” said Hatra nervously. He could swear that he can feel Veles’ eyes on the back of his head. The feeling was as if something is slowly entering his skull, messing with his brain, and looking into the most hidden corners of his memories. Hatra turned around in a rush of panic. He saw the Military Advisor walking out of the room.

“I want a detailed report on their next mission,” said Belfor while his entire attention was turned to the enormous gem on his ring. “Each of them must write one.”

“You want them all to write a report?” Repeated Hatra surprised.

“With all those years of education, I believe they should be able to write. After the next mission, I want you to send all survivors to me. They will no longer be your concern.”

Shivers ran down Hatra’s spine. He knew well that at the end of every project, there is an audit. Even a semi-qualified accountant could notice the exaggerated costs of living and the missing sums.

Emperor Fenor Belfor noticed the commander’s pale face and smiled:

“Commander Hatra, I am pleased with the results of the first GW soldiers. Soon you shall receive another 10,000 recruits. I am sure that you will train them just as well.”

Suddenly the dark clouds dispersed, and this became one of the happiest moments in Hatra’s life. In the end, he was not only out of danger, but he would receive a reward. Even Advisor Veles’ return could not darken the commander’s happiness.

“He does not deserve to train the next cadets,” said Veles to Belfor when they were getting in the emperor’s ship. “He is a thief and has no grain of right mind in his head. He had ten thousand perfect soldiers, and now there are only seven.”

A thin smile rose on Fenor Belfor’s face:

“That makes him perfect for this job.”

The Commander could not hear their words, but he shivered when the Military Advisor looked at him before entering the ship. The high guests left, and Hatra felt like he is the Master of the Universe again. A few days passed, and the new ten thousand recruits arrived. Ever since that day, Hatra stopped paying any attention to the old GW.

Hatra’s secretary Satr entered the office and walked past the five soldiers. They were summoned after breakfast, and now, almost at lunchtime, they were still standing in the center of the room. Satr could not see the point in not doing anything productive for so long. He saw what the GW soldiers fare capable of, and unlike the Commander, Satr felt respect and even feared them. For a long time, Satr could not understand why the soldiers tolerated this horrible treatment. There was not much to do on Darsk, so Satr decided to reorganize Darsk’s Archives. Horror chilled his spine when he opened the documents from the first years of the GW’s training. The files and the medical records told stories both shocking and impossible. The greatest secret was that all soldiers are clones, and no one knew about it. Since they grew up on Darsk, they only knew the training days here and the missions outside. They had no other place to go, no families, and no friends, and the only ones who they met were the creators of this monstrous way of life. The contact with the outside world was short and always during missions, and their education covered many subjects, but they were never taught that they have free will and the right to choose their future and way of life. Satr got furious while reading the files. Later he started having constant nightmares of the dead soldiers accusing him of not helping them. This pressure almost made him give away Darsk’s secret mission. He stopped himself on time. Sharing the secret of GW’s existence with Evalette’s population was only going to harm him. Instead, he decided to fill the gaps in the soldier’s education. Satr’s plan was simple. Whenever the soldiers were summoned to the commander’s office, he called them earlier than necessary. When the GW number dropped under 200, Hatra was ordered all mission reports to be written by the mission’s group leader. Later, the teams’ leaders began giving reports in person to the commander. Satr called them earlier, and they had to sit and wait, while in the meantime, he started a conversation with the rest of the personnel in Hatra’s administration. They talked about music, art, and everything else that was not part of the training here. The soldiers never took part in the conversations, but Satr noticed that they are listening. Sometimes he placed some trinkets on his desk so that the visitors could see them. Other times, he showed the other secretaries the smiling images of his relatives and told funny stories. Satr noticed that his plan is working when he discovered many common phrases the soldiers had overheard from his stories and the employees’ conversations. This pushed him to put in even more effort. The secretary expected no gratitude or friendship from them. His actions were a personal rebellion against the horrors performed under Belfor and Hatra’s orders.

“Commander,” Satr approached Hatra’s desk. “The last reports are sent to the Emperor’s Administration on Molefo. We just received a message from Superior Karil from System Lar, saying that an unregistered ship crashed on Planet Lar. The superior is asking you to send a team to take care of the situation.”

“Can’t he send his guards?” Hatra turned around and sat on his desk. He did not even bother to notice that the soldiers are five instead of 7.

“The accident occurred in Lar’s Sacred Forest,” the secretary read his short notes. “The law forbids locals to go there because a deadly curse will strike every Lar citizen who dares to enter the forest. It seems that the curse does not apply to outsiders. Superior Karil stated that he would consider this a personal favor.”

A huge smile rose on Hatra’s face. In his dictionary, “personal favor” to a wealthy merchant and head of a profitable trade system meant piles of money, priceless possessions, or maybe both.

“I cannot refuse to help my old friend Karil,” said Hatra and finally turned to the soldiers. “Your next mission is to check the crash site on Planet Lar. Bring back everything you find. Satr, inform my good friend Karil that we will help him in his time of trouble. Inform Emperor Belfor’s administration that they are still on a mission.”

The secretary left the room, followed by the soldiers. As always, Satr was the one to brief them on the upcoming task.

“After this mission, you are going to Molefo, where you will follow Emperor Belfor’s direct commands. Now you are going to investigate the crash site in System Lar. Your ship will be ready by the time you finish your lunch.”

“What a strange sight!” Thought Satr watching them leave. The word was that the primary genes for the cadets came from the best families in Evalette. It was a mystery where they found genetic material for Axar when the last recorded encounter with this race was hundreds of years ago. This added to the mystery and captured Satr’s attention towards the soldier. After all his time here, Satr felt an attachment to the soldiers. When he arrived in Darsk, their number was 4232. Today, they were only five. Those five saw the deaths of the other 9995 soldiers but never showed grief or regret. They never showed emotions, so the secretary felt obligated to grieve for the deceased instead of them. Perhaps he was the only one who cared what will happen to them. The secretary was sure that Axar knew his little secret, and the fact that he kept it to himself made Satr respect him even more. This was GW First Generation’s last mission, and the secretary wondered if it is time for him to leave. He did not feel ready to see 10,000 children meet their doom. Yes. It was time for a change.

The soldier Bai was also a rare specimen. He came from an extremely dangerous rase, and the improvements of his genes made him even more aggressive and vicious. He loved questioning the detained and used all sorts of torture even after the captives had said everything they knew or did not know. The deaths of the arrested were described in the reports as suicides to avoid being questioned again. Nevertheless, Belfor and Hatra favored Bai and admired his creativeness in cruelty.

Satr favored Axar because he felt that the silent man was more than a common soldier. Always executive and brave, calm in every situation, Axar returned whole and unharmed even after the worst battles, and he was responsible for the salvation of another soldier. In the rare occasions when the soldiers were free of duties and training, Axar was reading. According to regulations, the GW never asked questions and had to answer with several standard phrases. Many times during the years, Axar denied giving even the bare minimum of answers when asked. According to the records, even the countless hours of punishments could not make him show the minimum respect and answer his superiors unless he wished to do so. Axar’s voice could be heard only when he chose to speak, and even then, he used a few words straight to the point. His medical data showed that he was considered to have a limited brain capacity for a large part of his childhood, and the scientists believed that this had not changed. Satr’s observations led far from those conclusions. Axar noticed everything, his mind worked fast, and his body was always ready for action. With his stone-cold face and complete silence, he seemed like a statue instead of a real man. Sometimes, while Satr was reading the reports, the soldier appeared in his mind like a hero from the ancient legends. Axar’s calm and sublime presence made everyone instinctively search for his approval and follow his every order. Satr knew that there were only a few born leaders in history, and they all had Axar’s qualities. Despite the excellent results, Axar remained mysterious and distant from everyone. It seemed like he had accepted the place fate had granted him. He showed no pleasure in this job and just followed orders. Unlike the addicted to torture, Bai, all questioned by Axar, remained alive and unharmed in most cases. Besides that, his interrogations were extremely short. Axar always walked into the room, sat down, and asked his question with a calm and quiet voice. Shortly after that, the answer appeared in the records. No one lied to Axar, and he rarely had to ask twice. The results of his interrogation methods were excellent, but they lacked the bloody spectacle that pleased his superiors.

Satr could describe the other three soldiers with fewer words. Faut could be easily mistaken for a rock, not only in appearance but also in intellect. Ziklat could read every map and terrain, while Opfya could turn everything that fell in his hands into a weapon. Their results were high, but they could not compare with Bai and Axar.

Day 2

The green spheres sensed the approaching dawn and spread into giant leaves. The golden sun rays pierced through them and transformed into a soft emerald light. The green world shivered when Sam pushed aside the edge of the enormous leaf. The man roared out of pain and stopped on the spot until the pain in his knee settled down. He reminded himself that he should be grateful for the pain because it is better than not feeling anything.

This revelation came to him while he was searching for survivors. He realized his incredible luck and praised whichever god had saved him during the plane crash. He found Talya unconscious and dragged her out of the plane. He went back to the plane to look for medicine and took whatever he could from the wreckage. The night approached, and Sam noticed that the leaves started to curve into huge balls. It did not take time before the plane lost the last support the retracting leaves gave and fell into the abyss between the trees. Sam managed to grab the woman and take cover in a nearby tree hollow just in time. The flames passed by them in a blink and headed on the way up to the crowns of the trees. Sam made beds from the clothes he took from the plane and lit up a fire in front of the tree hollow. He tried to rest, but the pain and the memories of the crash turned his dreams into nightmares. Sam spent the next day resting and browsing through the luggage. It took a couple of days for the woman to regain consciousness. Once she did, Sam began to miss the silence and loneliness he enjoyed before she woke up. Talya, just like Sam, had no idea what had happened. They stayed a couple of days in the tree hollow until their wounds heal, but the limited resources were depleting, and it was clear that it is time to look for help.

They head towards the treetops hoping to see the end of the forest, a food source, or a sign of civilization. The idea was great, but Sam regretted not waiting for a few more days once they started the climb. His body was still bruised, and the pain grew under the weight of the heavy backpack with their supplies. On top of everything else, he had to push up his whining companion.

“Come on, Talya, climb!”

She took forever to move, and the slow climb put even more tension on Sam’s body. The only way to move faster was to help her climb to push her from behind.

“Sam, watch your hands!” She yelled and tried to slap his hand.

“You already fell on my face once! It was funny but let’s not make that joke again. Be careful, or the next time you slip, I will move aside and let your butt kiss the branches below.”

“Those shoes are not meant for climbing!”

Sam frowned. Talya turned out to be a lovely young woman, but her problem was that she was constantly talking, and when she was not talking, she was singing. Sam enjoyed the conversation and had fun with the funny remarks and quotes from movies and books, and he even caught himself humming and singing along with her. That was strange because he could not remember the last time he felt joyful enough to sing. But despite the fun times, Talya was talking too much.

“Just keep moving. And stop humming!” said Sam sharply. The exact moment the words came out of his mouth, he realized that the pain was speaking. Talking was Talya’s way to keep her mind away from thinking about the trouble they were in. “I’m sorry. We are almost there. You will sing when we reach the top.”

Once Talya and Sam stood on the highest branch, they agreed that the effort and pain were worth it. The sun was getting closer to the horizon, covering the distant clouds with gold. Fluffy clouds resembling cotton candy slowly flew high above the tired climbers towards the darkening sky. Behind them, the night was lighting up the first stars. The five moons with green, blue, yellow, red, and silvery colors were the most astonishing sight. Underneath them, the tree crowns spread in every direction as far as the eye could see. It didn’t matter which way they would go because wherever they turned, purple fountains jumped over yellow fluffy orbs, pink and green fireworks bloomed above blue leaf spikes, and red flower waterfalls dropped over the multicolored tree stems. Sam and Talya stood in the middle of a rainbow gently swayed by the warm wind.

“This is amazing!” Sighted Talya.

“This is not Earth.”

Sam’s comment remained unnoticed. A movement on their right made them turn scared and ready to fight any unknown danger. They had not seen or heard animals so far, but that was even a better reason to be cautious. Their attention was drawn by the enormous green sphere on the top of the tree moved. The leaves spread and bloomed into a giant red flower.

“It looks just like the fruit in the flower I ate last night. Only there is no fruit in the middle. Too bad, it tasted great,” said Talya to herself, but Sam heard.

“What?” Asked Sam. He was shocked that she had done something so stupid and dangerous. “You ate some strange fruit? And you didn’t give me any?!”

“Shhh! Look!” She pointed at the flower resembling a dry red bonsai surrounded by a lake of dark red slime.

“Talya, where are you going?”

Talya ignored his question and climbed on the petals towards the center of the blossom. She felt the same way she did the previous night, right before she took a bite of the strange fruit. She felt as if the entire world had vanished, and the only thing she had to do is reach the red bonsai.

“Talya, stop! Don’t touch it! It might be poisonous,” Sam grabbed her hand.

Talya struck him so hard that Sam flew away and almost fell off the branch. He climbed up, grabbed her, and tried to carry her away from the flower. Talya punched him in the face, and with this, his attempt to keep her away from the plant turned into a fight.

“What’s wrong with you?! Stop!” Sam yelled.

Talya was winning the battle, and he could barely withstand her hits. The ground underneath them moved, and Sam realized that they are standing on the giant petals. He thought they would close slowly as the leaves did during the previous night, but he was wrong. The petals snapped in a blink of an eye and dragged both of them inside the pool of red slime. Sam tried to break the leaf dome, but the soft semi-transparent red petals resisted every hit. His strength vanished with every second weakened by the pungent aroma of the flower. His body felt heavy, and he turned around to see how Talya is. She was already sleeping. His legs lost all strength, and he slid down to the depths of sleep.

The colorful leaves, the clouds, and the moons were curious about the climbers. If they could speak, they were going to tell the story of two strange creatures, who impudently entered Ha’li’s holy blossom and bathe in his nectar. This was an unthinkable and unforgivable act, and the rest of the trees demanded punishment for the trespassers. The Sacred Tree calmed everyone down. He had been interested in the strangers ever since their arrival. Ha’li’s curiosity grew even more after the female creature ate his fruit. Ha’li remembered only two creatures who took a full bite from his fruits and lived to tell the tale. So far, the female Talya had eaten three different fruits, and now she was peacefully sleeping in the most potent magical substance in existence. The male Sam ate nothing, but since he is also sleeping inside the flower meant that he is also exceptional. Ha’li took a glimpse into the future. What he saw created an idea that ran through his fibers and stopped in his deepest roots. Taking action on his vision would not change the future in any way except maybe that everything will be completely different in the end.

“After all,” thought Ha’li, “every future has the right to be changed even if it does not want to.”

Sam and Talya’s numb bodies flew in the air, surrounded by a fountain of red nectar. Once it was free from the intruders, Ha’li’s blossom bloomed. The slimy red liquid and the leaves dried out in an instant and turned into a fine dust. The rest of the trees followed his example, and soon piles of colorful dust from the dead flowers flew up into the sky, carried away by the gentle breeze. The five moons had not seen this for thousands of years. Long ago, this event was celebrated by millions, and the festivities lasted for days. Now, Ha’li’s Sacred Forest was forbidden and feared by the locals and long forgotten by everyone else. The moons knew that this would be the last time someone will see this magnificent sight.

Talya had no strength to move. All she could do is observe the colorful cloud flying over the darkening sky. Then, she felt movement underneath her, and it took less than a second to realize that she is on a leaf, retracting into a ball for the night. She had to move on the branch, but her body denied following any command given by the brain.

“Khghhhhh…”

Talya realized that the strange noises are coming from Sam and tried to answer:

“Aagkhaa…,” went out of her throat, and she coughed.

The response was another wheeze from the same direction as the first one. Her attempts to speak led to a choked gurgle that tore her vocal cords. Talya could only hope that Sam somehow will pull her to safety. Time dragged slowly as she tried to move or at least feel her body. Her hearing and sense of smell gave up gradually. Her eyes still worked, so she looked turned her attention to the sky. The brightest moon tonight was yellow, while the green one they saw during the previous nights had faded slightly. From up here, the brilliant and bright colors of the moons proved once again that she and Sam are on another planet. Somehow, they reached further than any other human being, and now their adventure was about to end before it had even begun.

“I don’t want to die; I sometimes wish I’d never been born at all…” {Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody”}. The song echoed in Talya’s mind the exact moment when the support under her body disappeared. She fell. Branches and green orbs flew past her numb body. Sam was closer to the base of the leaf and plunged after her. His body looked lifeless, and his limbs swayed like rag doll’s arms and legs. Talya wondered if she looked the same way.

“Falling like leaves, torn by the wind,” Talya thought.

She heard a gurgling noise as Sam’s body flew past her on the way to the ground. All she could do is observe the world like a silent movie. The branches got thicker and bigger, and she realized that she is getting closer to the ground. Talya’s thoughts roamed, and she remembered how Sam told her about the great fire and that the tree bark had no sign of explosion or fire. How was that possible? Her thoughts jumped to the strange carvings inside the tree hull, which reminded her of wall decorations. She felt that they might hold all answers she needed. Her mind jumped to the decision she and Sam made to go up instead of down the tree. Now it was too late to fix that mistake because Talya was falling, and Sam was probably already dead. Suddenly her flight stopped.

“It’s a beautiful life…” {Ace of Base “It’s a Beautiful Life”} echoed the next song in Talya’s head while the last brain cells attempted to escape the falling darkness.

***

Superior Karil liked walking in his garden. That was his favorite activity after the Nards from the Imperial Administration took over the control of the System Lar. The income on Planet Lar came from trade, but Superior Karil never understood that business. He was a tenth generation merchant in a wealthy family that he never needed to do anything to keep the money flow steady. He became a Superior and Official Representative of System Lar because of the simple rule “The richest rules all”. This post came with advisors and assistants who did everything for him. Superior Karil’s greatest blessing was his Secretary Mu, who made the ruler’s life even more effortless by taking the burdens of the remaining obligations on himself. As a result, Karil only had to attend meetings with the advisors once a week and only make decisions during crises. Since there was no problem that the Nards could not fix, the superior filled his time with feasts and rearrangement of the plants in his garden.

On this pleasant, warm afternoon, he decided to sit under the flowers of the Orange Dukla. As Karil walked towards his target, his bright red robes bulged out like a ship’s sail illuminated by the setting sun. Far behind the superior walked several servants and his Secretary Mu. They were ordered not to speak because their voices could disturb the peace flowing from every leaf in the garden. The superior waved his hand as an order to the servants to come closer. They rushed ahead as fast as possible while being careful not to turn over even a single pebble on the pathway. The obstacle on their path where the branches of the Kiprisa tree hanging low over the path. This tree was not vicious by nature, but even the slightest wind could make its branches sway. Once one tiny branch flew in the air, it drew the rest in the same direction. The most dangerous weapon this tree had been the thin, sharp spikes that protected the tiny Kiprisa flowers could easily pierce everything they touched. Despite the danger, the servants had to walk past the spikes. The Kiprisa branches trapped them, and after a short fight with the tree, the servants walked away with scratches and torn clothes.

“Why do you present yourself in this state?” Karil raised his voice when he noticed the messy clothes.

“Forgive us, Superior. We ran to you searching for enlightenment when we spotted a giant bug in the Kiprisa tree branches. We had to prevail over the pest in the name of the beauty created by you,” bowed Secretary Mu. There was no point in telling the truth because Karil would never believe that some of his plants were dangerous.

“Yes,” said Karil and petted the giant orange leaf of the Orange Dukla. “Perfection has many enemies. You did well to kill the pest. Do not make me wait so long the next time I call for you. I have no intention to wait for you all day long!”

“We shall punish ourselves most horribly,” Mu bowed low and turned towards the servants. “Did you hear that?! The superior is tired of waiting for you! Later, if I remember, I’ll order for you to be punished! Bring a chair and refreshments for the superior!”

The servants ran like scared rabbits tripping over each other.

“Mu, come and see this,” said Karil walking to a colorful tree. “I have always wondered if it is possible all petals of the Tkos to be in the same color.”

“Marvelous idea!” Mu overreacted with his enthusiasm.

In the meantime, servants came back with a giant armchair covered with soft pillows. The superior sat down and took the glass with the refreshment drink:

“What are our tasks for this afternoon?”

“You kindly allowed the Lead Scientist Galt Whereamai to be enlightened by your wisdom.”

“Yes, let him come,” said Karil, stirring his cold drink. “What happened to that thing that got us worried so much? Our good friend said that he would take care of it, but he is still not here.”

“Commander Hatra’s ship is far away. That is the reason he is slow with the execution of your order.”

The word “order” drew a big smile over the superior’s face. Mu smiled on the inside and congratulated himself. He knew that every influential person likes to be flattered, and the stupid ones trust every praising word. Karil had no power to give orders to the army, especially to someone under the direct command of Emperor Belfor, but that could not stop his ego from growing by the very thought of such possibility. Mu discovered this rich men’s weakness long ago and learned to achieve a lot with a small compliment. It was a pleasant surprise that Karil, except stupid and selfish, was also absent-minded. He never listened because he had someone to remember everything instead of him. Karil also never remembered what he had said because there were other people to do that for him. With a little cunning, Mu took over the last of Karil’s functions. His goal was higher, but his ambition to become a Superior was limited by lack of finances. No matter how the Imperial Administration changed things, Lar’s prime law: “The Richest Rules,” remained. Many ambitious employees might throw themselves to grab everything in their first years of employment, but not Mu. He waited patiently for the perfect opportunity to become a Superior, and nothing could discourage him, especially when he was so close to the prize.

“Answer!” Yelled the Karil.

“Forgive me, Superior!” Bowed Mu, torn from his dreams of power. “I was looking at the beautiful blossoms and tried, by your example, to imagine how the plants will look if all their leaves have the same color. But I am just a secretary with limited knowledge. The effort caused my brain to overheat and shut down. Thank you for saving me from the terrible fate created by my ignorance. Only you are capable of such great enlightenment and endless imagination.”

“Yes, yes. I know. Now, tell me about the horrible beast that threatened the harmony in my garden,” said Karil and relaxed in his chair.

Mu had forgotten entirely about the lie. He was about to continue the made-up story about the fake bug when Karil interrupted him.

“But what is this? Who is running and disturbing my peace?”

A short creature dressed in a yellow and purple robe was running towards them. It had glasses, which covered most of his face, and a yellow hat with fluffy balls on thin wires sticking out of it in all directions. The fast speed caused the yellow balls on his hat to fly far behind like a second head. As he ran, different objects and papers tried to escape from his hands.

“Guards!” yelled Superior Karil.

A wall of uniforms appeared out of nowhere and swiped away the short person. The balls on the hat had a moment of confusion before being dragged to the muddy ground {If there was a Balls on a Hat Syndicate existed, they were undoubtedly going to file a complaint about poor treatment. As everyone knows, every ball on a hat should stick in its direction and breaking that rule might cause casualties. There have never been exact statistics of the victims because the significant number would cause a general panic}.

“Salvation,” thought Mu and turned to Karil. “No, Superior, this is Galt Whereamai, your fortune-teller, astronomer, and Lar’s Lead Scientist.”

“Why was he running?” Karil’s confusion was great, so he let his ego take charge. “Oh, he is in a hurry to spend more time with me. Now that is devotion!”

Muffed cries came from under the pile of uniforms.

“I think the Lead Scientist will appreciate it if the guards move away from him,” hinted Mu.

“Really? Guards, let him go!”

The guards stood up and moved away from the purple and gold robes flattened in the mud. Somewhere under the layers of cloths was Galt Whereamai, Lead Scientist of Lar. The scientist stood up and swayed as he tried to clean up his clothes from the mud and the grass. His robes were ruined, and the situation with his hat’s ornaments was tragic. Most of the balls were hanging down, soaked with mud and grass. The few heroically survived balls returned to their places to remind them of the hat’s lost splendor.

“Mliah-khah mlia,” said the Lead Scientist. He shook his head to clear away his mind, which brought the remaining balls on the hat to panic. “Nhmdert klo.”

“Is this contagious?” Karil turned to Mu.

“No, master, I think that when the guards тхрев Lead Scientist Whereamai to the ground, he might have lost his ability to speak. I am sure that he will get well any moment now.”

“Tell him to hurry up. I do not have all day to wait for him,” Karil said, bored.

“I am sure he knows that,” said Mu, and his cold eyes stabbed the scientist.

In the meantime, Galt Whereamai tried to hold all objects the servants handed over to him. Every time he took something, something else jumped out of his hands and fell on the ground. The servants picked up the objects again, gave them to the scientist, and dropped them again. This happened a few times, and it could probably last forever if one of the servants had not stepped on the purple robe while Galt was taking a step to the side. The giant robes dragged the servant, and the poor man lost his balance and fell. Another servant tried to help him, but they both fell and dragged everyone else. The scientist was the only one standing, so he decided to help the fallen. Galt tripped in his robes and disappeared amongst the servants who were already standing up.

Mu was not close with the scientist, he did not even like him, but this situation made him feel pity. The feeling was not directed so much to Galt but for the repeatedly dropped precious scientific equipment.

“Stop playing and come here!” Mu’s voice put an end to the wave of clumsiness.

Galt Whereamai walked closer and, in those few steps, managed to sift out the three objects in his hands until there was only one rolled map. The servants gathered everything else and stood behind the Lead Scientist, ready to assist.

“Thakh you,” said Galt to them with sincere gratitude. He walked towards the superior, and the map jumped out of his hands. He managed to catch the naughty object and prepared to speak.

“Speak!” Ordered Karil. “Tell us the reason for your presence here today.”

The scientist cleared his throat, but that did not stop the first words from running through all vocal cords until settling in the proper register:

“Superior, now I can positively confirm the future events,” said Galt and opened the parchment over the table. The back of the ancient document got covered with glaze from the sweets in the trays.

Mu coughed. Only Galt Whereamai could destroy something faster than a Zuzu worm and get on his face a mixed expression of “I did not know that this will happen” and “Oops, I did it again”.

“So, I was saying… I was saying,” continued the Lead Scientist. “Yes, it turns out that the foretelling of the Alignment of the Moons will come true. It is, in fact, actually it is happening right now. As you have noticed, each of the мoons lasted a single night, which is a sure sign for confirmation of the prophecy.”

“What prophecy?” Interrupted him, Karil.

Galt turned to Mu with the unspoken question, “he really doesn’t know”. The secretary’s calm eyes reminded him to whom Galt is about to explain the following phenomenon.

“Right, which prophecy,” continued Galt. “In short, a long time ago, the Great Sacred Tree Ha’li called all his followers, called Adee, under the pretext of giving them endless wisdom and enlightenment. When they gathered, he took their lives in horrible ways.”

“If everyone died, then who wrote the legend?” Asked Karil.

“Uh?” Galt looked around in fear. It was forbidden to talk about the ancient legends. Anyone who dared to break the rules was captured by Military Advisor Veles and disappeared forever. Galt looked around, terrified as if the fearsome advisor can hear him, and took a sip from the glass on the table to calm down. Mu’s displeased expression showed that this is Karil’s glass. Galt continued before the superior also noticed this mistake. “It is not in the records how the story appeared in the records. What is known is that Ha’li will wake up and make the five moons stand behind each other.”

“What will happen then?” The superior asked.

“A beginning of a new era of endless riches and prosperity,” Mu said.

“No!” Said Galt. “The records state that there will be a complete destruction of the planet and the moons. We have three days and this night to evacuate everyone to a safe distance from the planet.”

“Or we can ignore the superstitions and concentrate on the organization of the celebrations of this year’s Night of the Reborn Moons,” said Mu.

“No!” Yelled the scientist. “We have to evacuate! Everyone must leave!”

“You are a scientist and a fortune-teller, not Lar’s Superior!” Mu raised his voice. “Lar’s citizens always follow the example of our brave Superior Karil. Any whispers of evacuation or a cataclysm will bring chaos and loss of profit. Guards, escort the Lead Scientist to his office.”

Galt was not going to give up so easily:

“I saw multi-colored clouds coming from the Sacred Forest. Ha’li is awake! Terrible things will happen! Listen to me, Superior Karil….” Galt’s shouts faded in the falling dusk as the guards carried the purple robe and the tiny person inside it more than a step above the ground.

“Could he be right?” Mumbled Karil. “Maybe we should evacuate.”

The superior’s thoughts were the last thing Mu needed right now:

“I doubt it, Superior. Remember how many times he made mistakes in his previous prognosis. Let’s go inside. You may catch a cold out here.”

***

Still dizzy, Sam tried to jump on his feet. He realized he can’t move. He looked down and saw thick, stinky ropes around his body. Sam looked around for something sharp to cut through the ropes. There was nothing useful, so he tried to tear the ropes. The pressure of his massive muscles did not even loosen the knots. Sam relaxed, exhausted from the effort, and wondered how this happened. He looked around for Talya, but instead of her, he saw two creatures walking towards him. Ever since he climbed to the top of the tree, Sam was sure that they are not on Earth. He expected that some of the living creatures they will meet might not be friendly, and it was clear that most will not be attractive according to human standards. But the creatures standing here looked like something that could not exist even in the craziest nightmares of a mad scientist. The furry pale-blue and white lizard, over two meters high stuck its warty nose in Sam’s face. The ugly thing grunted something and kicked Sam in the ribs. It walked away and started a conversation with the other creature that looked like a bat without wings with skin in a candy-pink color. After that, they sat down to eat and occasionally checked on Sam.

Sam took the opportunity to look around the camp. A container was radiated heat and light, several different sizes and shape bags, and some strange appliances. The camp was set up on a branch much larger than any other Sam had seen so far. The tree bark was covered with layers of thick moss, which made the air stuffy and smelling like a swamp. His eyes returned to the creatures. Their clothes were torn and filthy, with strangely-looking objects hanging on their belts. The idea of blasters and lasers made Sam smile. Who knew that science fiction could help him in real life? Unfortunately, there was no sign of Talya or any Earth objects, which meant that the creatures had not discovered the tree hull or her. Sam tried again to loosen the ropes, but all he achieved was getting a few kicks from the pink bat. The lizard stabbed his neck with something that made Sam relax and fly to the kingdom of dreams.

“T’morrow, I won’t carry it!” Squeaked the bat pointing at Sam.

“Easy, Ps! T’ink the anim‘s fine to move. Look it napping,” said the fluffy lizard Tbuh.

“Will boss beat ’s for just one? Oder one fly.”

“I no chase it!”

Ps agreed with a squeak and said after a deep thought:

“Ot’er smell good. Look good. White like Argu.”

“Is Arglulu. True, but I no chase dead t’at fly in t’is forest… See Yellow Moon. T’nig’t creatures come out. No worry, dummy! Soon moons be good. Boss said we gonna make lot of money dis Night of Moons. Now I sleep, then you. An’ no let Yellow Moon beasts get you,” Tbuh laughed and fell asleep, leaving his scared friend on guard.

***

Mu remained after the meeting to tidy up Karil’s office. That was just a pretext to look deeply involved in the affairs of the state. As a matter of fact, he liked being alone in Karil’s office. Tonight, Mu had a reason to celebrate. He was pleased that all merchants and advisors of the superior agreed with the changes in the inheritance law. Now all he needed was the Imperial Administration’s approval. Mu could barely hold his smile when one of the senior assistants knocked on the door and entered:

“There are visitors, Secretary Mu. Soldiers sent by Commander Hatra.”

“Bring them to me.”

“Excuse me, Secretary Mu, what made you so happy?”

“I was thinking about Superior Karil’s wise words. Our leader’s wisdom is highly sophisticated.”

“Wisdom, right, right,” mumbled the assistant on his way out. Being already at the end of his life and career, he could remember many things about Lar’s Superiors but never wisdom.

The door opened, and Mu shivered. The sight of the soldiers walking towards him seemed like taken straight out of a nightmare. It was not their weapons that scared Mu; it was their eyes. Somehow Mu resisted the urge to hide under Karil’s desk. Instead, he stood up and greeted the soldiers.

“Welcome to Lar. I am Mu, secretary of Superior Karil.”

“Commander Hatra sends his regards to Superior Karil. We are Ziklat, Opfia, Bai, and Axar,” said the tall skinny soldier in a calm voice.

“The statement said that Hatra is sending us five soldiers.”

“There was an accident,” Bai said with a barely visible joyful grin on his dry face.

“Keep the details to your commander,” Mu waved his hand. “Yesterday, an unknown object crashed in the Sacred Forest. It is not clear what or if something has survived after the crash. Your mission is to bring everything you find. If it is too heavy, we can provide you with machines.”

“Our order is to bring everything back to Darsk. Your Superior will be sent a report after the discovered objects are examined,” said Axar.

“Superior Karil will discuss this with your Commander tomorrow. I prepared transports for you. If you catch something, check Lar’s Guide of Plants and Life Forms. We do not want to waste time waiting for information on some local vermin,” smiled Mu, but they missed understanding his joke. He opened the door for them. “My assistant will show you the equipment room.”

Mu slammed the office door behind the soldiers.

“Please, follow me this way,” said the old clerk and led the soldiers down the halls of the palace.

The uniformed men checked the equipment and head to the forbidden territory. They moved through the suburbs of the busy town, trying not to draw attention. Even in the middle of the night, the trade on Lar was going at full speed because the merchandise was different in the late hours than the one during the day. The fanatical devotion of the merchants to make money turned the planet into a giant market. If there was a place in the Universe that not only does not sleep but, in fact, it does not even blink, then that was Lar.

Bai was astonished by the chaos on the streets. The soldiers rarely visited large cities, and when they did, most of the population died shortly after their arrival. Having so many living creatures close to them and not being allowed to defend themselves was unnerving. Bai sunk so deep into observing the crowds on the streets that he forgot the real danger. Then he felt Axar’s eyes on him. He was sure that Axar knew what happened, but how did he learn? Did he see something? If yes, then why did he not say anything? The only explanation was that Axar chased after the same goal as him. Bai managed to eliminate the competition, but so far, he never found the courage to get rid of Axar. He could not stand him ever since they were children and that day when for the first and last time, he openly confronted Axar. Ever since then, there was not a day when those eyes did not pierce him. Sometimes they were silvery, other times dark blue and barely visible crystals in the darkness of the night. It was as if they were reading his soul and knew everything. They knew about all those soldiers who stood in Bai’s way, and they knew that Faut’s death was not an accident. Bai turned around, ready to see the slight glow of Axar’s eyes. The darkness and the subtle vibrations of the stavlia were playing with Bai’s senses. He was unsure if his imagination is playing tricks with his eyes or there really is a dark-blue cold light flowing from the thin slit between Axar’s eyelids. Bai looked away and tried not to think about anything that reminded him of the enemy he still had to defeat.

Day 3

After a long journey in the trunk, Sam found himself in a rusty cage hanging it in the air. The monsters cut his ropes and left. He sniffed his clothes and frowned because the nasty smell of the ropes had drenched in them. That was the least of his problems. Sam had to escape as soon as possible from his captives, but he was hanging too high above the floor to step on it. He could not reach anything else that would help him set himself free.

The creature in the next cage created a sound with something that Sam hoped to be a mouth. The horrible smell spread in the entire room, making the other creatures scream.

“Where are your manners!?” Sam covered his nose and tried to stop the tears in his eyes. Wiping them only made things worse. His eyes burned as if he had stuffed them with a mixture of onion and hot peppers. Fortunately, a few minutes later, the burning stopped, and he was able to see again. Sam did not even want to think about what kind of food causes the body to create tear gas. He tried to turn around to see the room behind his back. The cage was terribly small for his size, and the significant distance between the bars made sitting in it even more uncomfortable. Sam moved around, and his foot slipped between the bars. He roared out of pain when a vast, ugly wound appeared on his thigh. Sam pulled his leg up and pressed the wound, wondering what kind of infectious disease he might catch. The severe bleeding could bring an end to his worries. Sam released the pressure to check the wound and saw how the torn flesh healed instantly. Sam touched the vanishing scar. There was no pain, just a slight itch. That explained how he survived the fall from the top of the tree. His newly discovered superhero ability provoked questions. The most important was how did he get this superpower.

“Talya! Are you here?” Sam shouted, hoping that she might be in a cage he couldn’t see.

The man’s call provoked new screams from the cages. The loud noise stopped when the door at the far end of the room opened. The pink bat and the blue lizard entered, followed by a bug-like creature. It looked like an overweight beetle with skinny arms and legs, frog-like eyes, and two antennas on its head. The appearance of the bug made the creatures crouch into the corners of their cages. The blue furry lizard grabbed Sam’s arm and pulled it between the bars. Sam hit him in the snout, and the lizard pushed down a couple of cages while flying backward. The bug screamed, and the bat and the furry lizard jumped towards both sides of the cell. They managed to hold Sam long enough for the insect to inject something in his hand. They let go of the man’s hands and left the room.

Sam looked at the injected spot on his hand and felt the fluid spreading all over his body like fire through a pile of dry hay. The unbearable pain clouded his mind and made him lose consciousness. The next thing Sam felt was the stick of the pink bat hitting him.

“… walk alone… ot’er want… wake up…” hissed the blue lizard.

“What did you say?” Asked Sam, thinking that this is a dream.

“It get it! First time germ do job so hurry,” happily hissed the lizard and opened the cage. “Boss say we take it to market. T’day Client here.”

“What? Do you understand me? Do I understand you?” Sam felt dizzy. His head was ready to explode because of the pain caused by the injected fluid.

“It is called translation virus. The pain lasts only through the first days,” said the bug-like creature and stuck his spiky finger in Sam’s ribs. “I am Dold. Those are Ps and Tbuh who will make your life miserable if you try to run away.”

The monsters giggled while taking the other creatures out of the cages. Their boss stared at Sam. The giant dark man looked like a dulku, but his blood’s general analysis showed that he does not belong to any known race. Ps and Tbuh found him in the Sacred Forest, made the strange male creature valuable merchandise. Like every other citizen of Lar, Dold knew the legends about Ha’li, but for the first time in his life, he wondered if there is any truth in them. His Client wanted items from the Sacred Forest, and there could be few things more valuable than a living creature caught under Ha’li. Dold already thought of a reasonable price for this live specimen.

Ps and Tbuh finished tying up with the rest of the merchant’s property and turned to Sam. He was ready to fight even before they opened the cage, but the slave traders drugged him with a dart. Sam’s hands hanged, and his head tilted to the side. The entire livestock of the merchant was tied up in line with Sam in the middle. The thick, smelly ropes covered him from neck to knees, and he felt like a walking ball of yarn.

They walked down the street. It was early morning, and some parts of the market were waking up while others were closing for the day. Most of the shops only changed merchants and remained open. Thousands of aromas, which conquered the noses of buyers and merchants. Sam tried to remember the path, but the small shops and countless colorful street stalls turned the narrow streets into a labyrinth. Finally, they reached the most prominent road, which connected the marketplace’s main square with Lar’s palace and the landing port outside of the city. The only high structures were towers with monitors showing products with short information about the store where they can be found.

Dold led the column to the center of the square and waited for his turn to present his products. Tbuh and Ps pulled Sam up on the stage after Dold while the shop’s automatic presentation was on. Thousands of eyes turned towards them.

“Welcome! Welcome my most dear and generous masters! Dold’s goodies are fresh and juicy today! I have the newest products on the market! For your entertainment, the rarest product in my stockpile will perform a trick typical only to his kind!”

The pink bat pushed Sam to the center of the stage, and his face appeared on the monitors. The crowd stared at him in expectation. Moments passed, but the man was just standing on the scene, stretching his neck. Dissatisfied calls and whistling came from the crowd.

“Do something! Say something!” Hissed Dold.

Ps hit the man with a metal rod in the back. Sam felt nothing under the ropes, but a powerful desire to crush the pink bat’s mug burst into his chest. Sam saw many guards all over the square and, for a moment, thought to shout for help. He reconsidered because it was clear that the slave trade is legal here, so he is not getting any help from them.

“Do something!” Dold yelled at him.

“I am doing,” said Sam calmly.

“What are you doing?” Asked Dold, confused.

“Nothing.”

Dold’s eyes darken with rage. It was the first time in his career when the livestock did not obey.

“What do you want to sell us, some new type of tree?” Laughed someone in the crowd.

Dold turned to the public in a last desperate attempt to protect his reputation:

“He is from an endangered species! The last heir of a lost civilization. The blood test….”

“Endangered species! Ha! This is just an ustu you dragged out of a mine,” yelled someone, and everyone laughed.

Another insect joined Dold on the stage and pointed towards the stage exit:

“Your time is up.”

“I have new poti, celjlios, and many other fresh products! Come to Dold! Come to buy the best merchandise!” Yelled the merchant while the market’s guards pushed him out of the stage in front of the eyes of the laughing public.

As an award for his performance, Sam was locked in a crowded cage with the rest of the merchant’s products. At least Dold ordered for the ropes wrapped around his body to be removed. Different buyers came to see Sam out of curiosity. Some of Dold’s products were bought as servants or toys for children, while others were going to become someone’s dinner. All buyers who saw the show bargained viciously for the price, which drove the merchant to the edge of his patience.

“I am losing money because of your performance!” Yelled Dold.

“But I’ve done nothing,” smiled Sam calmly.

“That is the point!!!” Screamed the merchant and hit Sam with a stick. He missed, and the stick stroke one of the bars. It bounced back and hit the merchant on the face.

Sam kept smiling. Hours passed, and the only thing he could do was look at the customers with the same interest they stared at him. Sam separated them into several groups, and the largest group were insect-like creatures. Some looked like Dold, while others exceeded in appearance even the most extravagant specimens in the Earthly insect kingdom. Sam could think of few people who would do anything to have them in their herbariums. He almost laughed aloud when he imagined a giant pin piercing through the merchant’s body. The rest of the aliens were so different in size and shape that Sam could not classify them. Some human-like species were interested in buying him because of his impressive physique, but Dold refused all offers. He even shed a tear and hit the cages viciously in an attempt to calm down. Sam asked about the local prices and trade ways and realized why Dold had difficulty rejecting the offers. Every merchant had an important customer, the Client, who was the first to choose from the new products. This Client was entitled to request certain products, and the merchant was bound to get them. Currently, the only such specimen that matched the Client’s requirements was Sam. The greedy flame in Dold’s soul tempted him to sell Sam for a higher price and tell his Client that he had to destroy the spoiled product to avoid contamination. But the merchant stopped himself because if the Client ever found out the truth, he could choose another merchant. It was clear that Dold is greedy but not stupid.

Sam had little success in intergalactic negotiations with the buyers because he could not convince them that selling intelligent creatures is a crime. There was no hope for miraculous salvation, so Sam had to escape on his own. He observed and waited for the right time. When Dold opened the cage to get one of his products, Sam pushed him and Tbuh on the ground and ran. Ps chased him until Sam turned over a stall in front of him and the pink bat fell. Sam took a left turn and was just about to take another turn and disappear in the crowd when something stung him in the back. A moment later, the giant man collapsed on the dusty street. Tbuh and Ps dragged him back to the cage and tied him up. Hours passed before Sam could feel his body again. This escape plan failed, but it was some relief to see how the merchant and his men attended to the wounds they got while trying to stop him. Sam had never had a reason to use his muscles outside of the gym except to impress girls. The pleasant feeling of whacking someone lit up a savage sparkle he never thought he had. Sam’s mind got busy with the next escape plan’s details.

The setting sun brought clients with hunger in their eyes. Sam was in a cage with the rest of the new products reserved for Dold’s Client. The other two cages were old merchandise, and that brought their inhabitants to panic. According to the market’s sanitary requirements, the sellers were obligated to remove products that remained for more than one moon. Overdue traders were fined, and the product had to be destroyed anyway. An exception was made only for an item kept for the Client or because the merchant had received a deposit to guarantee that the product is going to be collected. One of the meat merchants viciously argued with Dold about the price of the products. Eventually, they reached an agreement, and the meat merchant left happy with a long line of products. Despite a good deal, Dold kept shouting at his subordinates.

The merchant’s mood changed drastically when he looked down the crowded street for the thousandth time today and saw how buyers, merchants, and merchandise moved aside to make way for the beautiful palanquin covered with orange curtains. Dold jumped happily and ordered his men to prepare the products while he went down the street to greet the Client. After a short conversation with the mysterious buyer, the merchant ordered his men to prepare all remaining products for the trip. Sam was brought to the line of livestock behind the palanquin, but this time there were no stinky ropes or chains of any kind.

Sam felt that his luck is turning around, and now all he has to do is wait for the right moment to escape. He looked around to find the best direction, but every street was as crowded as the next. Other products had the same idea and ran in different directions. Some of them managed to take a few steps before the orange drapes’ guards killed them on the spot. The bodies were loaded on a wagon at the end of the column, and the line of products continued to move ahead.

“Yo’ master like no trouble,” said Tbuh to Sam. “Yo’ run, yo’ die. Get it?”

Sam nodded, still shocked by the sight. The orange veils swayed again as the palanquin continued to advance down the street on the shoulders of the carriers. Sam noticed that Dold is still having a conversation with the Client. The guards walked on both sides of the products, and only Sam had Ps and Tbuh as extra guards. Dold knew that the guards shoot to kill, so the precaution measure was not so much to protect Sam as it was to get his full payment.

Further down the road, more palanquins with colorful curtains and loaded groceries joined the column. The long line of servants and purchases reached the center of a small square. The livestock stopped next to the rocks in different sizes, covered by slowly drying multicolored stains. Sam almost threw up when he saw how few merchants dragged their products to the rocks and killed them. In an attempt to erase the horrible scene from his mind, he turned to the shops around the square. The next moment he realized that this is where the products are cut to pieces. It was not hard for Sam to figure out that this is in the market’s slaughterhouse. With every second, the panic amongst the Client’s livestock grew, and four more products tried to escape. They all were shot, and their bodies were sent to the nearby shops for further processing.

“Hey!” Sam turned to Ps. “Do we stop here?”

“Yeah.”

This answer pushed Sam to burst into a passionate prayer:

“God, I am not a saint, but surely I don’t deserve to end like this. I see I’ve made you angry in a way, and I deserve punishment. But if I end up in someone’s belly, I won’t have the time to learn my lesson. If I survive, I’ll do my best to help many people,” Sam could not take his eyes off the bloody rocks a few steps away from him. “I’ve done some good things, too. I had a big company and gave work to many people. I used to help my classmates with their homework. They beat me up a little bit first, but that is how things are in grade school. And I helped my first landlady to take out her trash. I found her crazy dog when it got lost. I even ate the yucky biscuits and the viciously sweet tea she used to make when I went to pay my rent. That is also a good deed from a certain point of view.”

“Get ready!” Shouted the chief of the orange veils’ security.

A thick yellow liquid resembling honey was running down the stone close to Sam. The setting sun’s soft rays reflected from the transparent liquid, causing the surface to sparkle over the older colorful stains.

“I will die covered in golden slime,” whined Sam in disgust. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Fine. I’m ready.”

Sam faced the rock and lost all connection with the world while concentrating on his upcoming doom.

“C’mon!” Ps pushed him roughly.

“What? How? You said that we stop on the square!” Sam said, surprised.

“Yeah,” nodded the pink bat.

“But then we will continue the trip,” said Sam.

“Yeah,” agreed Ps.

Sam laughed as he walked further away from the terrifying square. It was his fault that he decided to ask a moron question of vital importance. The products walked through the narrow market streets for a long time, but Sam was happy knowing how close he was to permanent immobility. Once they reached the end of the city, everything was loaded on vehicles, and the trip continued to the docks. Sam’s professional curiosity pushed him to understand how the vehicles fly without making any loud noise. He intended to ask about their mechanism when he has the chance to communicate with an intelligent creature.

The colorful buildings of the market remained far behind. The docks’ gigantic cargo cranes rose high above the ground, moving various containers from and to the hulls of hundreds of spaceships. Once the products were loaded, the ships flew away to make space for other ships. Sam looked back to the scary market and the strange planet. He had no idea what the future holds for him, but at least he is leaving this place. Far in the distance, he saw the forest where the slave hunters found him. Sam silently said goodbye to Talya and promised to return to Lar and find her. He hoped that her fate will be better than his.

The vehicles stopped next to a giant ship with an oval-shaped hull in the same bright orange color as the buyer’s drapes. Six openings appeared on both sides of the ship’s hull. Metal plates came out and formed one giant wing and four smaller on each side of the ship. In the meantime, the servants placed the non-living products on a moving conveyor line, which took them through a wide metal tube. Other servants on the other side of the tunnel put the products in crates and placed them on the loading platforms towards the ship’s hangar.

The livestock’s de-contamination was last. The security pushed the animals through the tunnel and then tied up the slaves two meters apart with arms tied to the metal railings. The automatic conveyor line moved and carried Sam and the rest inside. The doors on both ends closed, and darkness fell over the tied-up products.

Suddenly, a stinky liquid poured from multiple sprinklers and covered Sam from head to toes. The spray stopped for a moment before another liquid with a different smell and temperature flew out through the sprinklers. When the last blast stopped, Sam managed to catch his breath and tried not to scream while the mixture of liquids stung his eyes and filled his ears. The tunnel’s dark walls become transparent, and the chemicals all over his body react to the sunlight. Deafening screams echoed, but Sam’s empathy faded when the crazy itch burned his skin all over his body. The sprinklers returned with streams of air bathing his body. The following spray felt like small sand grains that mercilessly stabbed and scratched him everywhere. When the sandblast stopped, Sam risked opening his eyes. The good news was that the itch was gone; the bad one was that somehow there were few people in the column. The man looked down and saw that his clothes are gone. A puddle straining through the bars on the floor had the colors of his shirt and pants. New sprinkles poured cool strings on him from head to toe. While he was trying to free himself from the railing, one of them crossed his face, and the liquid got hard, instantly forming a thick layer across his nose and mouth. Sam turned and twisted in an attempt to reach his face, but the strong chains kept his hands far apart. He strained every muscle until finally, the pipes ringed under the intense pressure of his arms. Sam cleared his face and took a deep breath. Mechanical components reached down from the ceiling and moved fast around his body. Their chaotic movements transformed the thin strings coming out of the mechanism into clothes. In a few seconds, wide pants and a blouse resembling a sack covered Sam’s body. Both ends of the tunnel opened, and the conveyor line moved again.

“I feel like a chihuahua showered in a car wash,” mumbled Sam. The security walked towards him with their weapons pointed at him, so he add. “Easy, guys! I come in peace.”

The guards remained with their guns pointed at Sam while a dozen short, fat caterpillars ran to inspect the broken pipes. They constantly looked at the giant man, then to the broken railings, and back at him as they discussed the situation. Their excited conversation involved screaming and hitting each other on the heads. Finally, the senior staff walked to the orange drapes to inform the Master about the extent of the damage. Two others entered a giant crate while the rest continued to assess the destruction created by Sam.

In the meantime, Dold had an unpleasant conversation with the Client.

“You sold me copies,” said a quiet voice from behind the orange drapes.

“Me? No! I didn’t know! I would never allow myself to sell low-quality products to my Client! Never! Client gets the best things! I don’t know how those copies appeared in my stock.”

The merchant’s eyes looked at the armed security. The buyer heard the short caterpillar’s report and continued:

“Who will pay for the cleaning machine?”

“But he… Your property did it… I have no fault!”

“Who sold him to me?”

Dold looked around in panic. If he were lucky, he would get out of that situation only with tremendous financial losses. Dold continued:

“He is strong!”

“Much,” hinted Ps to his boss.

“Very strong,” repeated the merchant. “Good product! And, as I said, we found him in the Sacred Forest.”

Dold made the mistake of getting too close to the curtains while whispering the last words. Few of the guards pointed their loaded weapons towards him until he stepped back.

“I said that this is a bad deal. I am considering reporting the situation,” said the Client sharply.

What scared every merchant on Lar more than death was troubles with the Nards and the Imperial Administration. A complaint about fraud from the Client might cost the merchant’s trade permit.

“On the other hand, Dold, you and I have done good business for a long time,” the voice behind the curtains was calm and kind again. “I know that somehow we will overcome that misunderstanding.”

That’s what the shopkeeper was waiting for. He continued with confidence:

“Yes, that is true. I will be eternally and deeply grateful if I have the chance to correct this misunderstanding. Perhaps, with another interesting object?”

“Yes. Tell me where your idiots caught him?”

Dold looked around and whispered barely:

“Right below, Ha’li.”

The silence behind the drapes lasted longer than Dold could endure.

“I want everything your idiots can find in the forest. Send them again as soon as possible,” ordered the orange drapes.

The Ruby Moon shined in the sky when it was time for Sam to be transported with the rest of the livestock. That loading process lasted longer than expected because of the security measures. The guards were on alert after the huge man tore the thick railings that could hold a wild raging pebod. They tied up Sam with an iron rope as thick as his wrists and put him on the ship with the rest of the products.

“Slave,” thought Sam. This world circled in his mind ever since he woke up and found himself tied by the stinky ropes. Sam had to do something to escape, but what? Now he had to take care of himself and avoid getting into more trouble. He had to know his enemy before making another stupid escape attempt, which could cost his life.

“And then what?” Asked a quiet voice inside his head.

“First, I have to survive. Then we’ll see,” said Sam quietly.

Day 4

Talya had the strange feeling of ruffled feathers all over her body. There was also a slight itch under the scales of her tail. And maybe she should also do something about the tiny worms in her roots, but there was no hurry. She opened her eyes and saw the bright red moon high above. Talya sat up, begging the world to stop spinning. Her hands were sticky from the juice of another strange fruit that laid around in pieces.

“I have to stop eating everything I find. I might get food poisoning or something. Sam! Are you here?”

There was no answer and no point in looking for him in the middle of the night. It was possible that Sam is in danger or even dying, but she could barely move or keep her eyes open. Talya promised to search for him tomorrow. Now, she needed to find a place to sleep. Her eyes explored the silent, gloomy forest illuminated by the ruby red moonlight and noticed a familiar sight. The tree hollow where she and Sam were hiding was on the higher branch. To get to safety, all Talya had to do was climb up the tree bark about 30 meters and go to bed. She was so tired that the task seemed impossible, so she split it into simple steps. First, she stood up and held the strong urge to shake off her fur. What happened? She remembered strange animals standing over her, even though she had not seen a living creature besides Sam since she woke up after the crash. Was she flying? Why her mouth taste like tree bark? Talya dragged herself to the tree stem pushing all questions aside. The only question she could not erase was what happened to Sam.

“He is so far away that I can’t see him,” the thought ran through her mind, clear and strong as a proven fact, and vanished into the ruby-colored darkness.

Climbing up was pretty easy because the tree bark was so wrinkled that every dent was as deep as a stair. Despite this, she stopped a few times to get rest and get her head straight. One of the things Talya could not even think of paying attention to was that she could see clearly in the middle of the night as if it was the brightest day. She walked inside the tree hull, ready to drop on the floor. Most of the objects salvaged by Sam were scattered around, but at least the beds were still intact. Talya promised to clean up the mess tomorrow and immediately fell asleep.

The Sacred Tree observed Talya closely because she was one of the most exciting creatures he had ever met. It was too early to tell the outcome, but something about her felt suitable for the challenging task ahead. Finally, she fell asleep, and Ha’li turned his attention to his daily matters. Lately, the days in the Sacred Forest were alike. The trees greeted and sent away the sun behind the horizon but remained subjects to the five moons. Every moon brought a new season and marked the passing time. In Ha’li’s world, everything followed an established order, and it would continue this way forever if it were not for the intruders. They started a chain of events that could change everything by leaving things the way they should have been in the first place. Ha’li found all this incredibly amusing. Because he was a tree, he could express his laughter only with a gentle sway of the leaves. Interesting events were coming his way, and he was excited about them. The key figure in his plan became the female creature that dared to eat one of his fruits without his permission. Just a drop from one fruit’s juice was powerful enough to kill 500 of his students. The strongest Adeas increased their powers by dropping three drops of his less potent fruit in the lake, and then each of them could drink just a sip of the water. So far, Talya ate three fruits and fell into his blossom. She was alive and getting more powerful than anyone he had ever met in the thousands of years of his existence. It was easy to figure out that Talya is a Dar, and no doubt that the Military Advisor Veles will come for her once he sensed her presence. Ha’li spread his green leaves to hide her from the All-Seer, and his plan seemed successful, considering that she is still here. In the meantime, Ha’li wished to see how far Talya will reach with the help of his fruits, and most of all, he wanted to know what she will do after that.

The Red Moon stepped away as the sun took over the sky. The Sacred Tree moved his leaves and let a soft sunray all the way down to the ancient temple of his followers. The light rushed in, chasing away the shadows in the tree hull before falling on the floor near Talya. The woman’s eyes glided through the light and explored the walls. The more she looked at the carvings, the more this place looked like a room created by intelligent creatures. Evidence supporting this theory were the symmetric entrance, carved walls, and the smooth, almost polished floor. This forest was mysterious, but she felt no fear despite all the strange and dangerous events that had happened to her. On the contrary, Talya felt safe and calm here.

“Rubies and emeralds,” Talya smiled, thinking of the enchanting differences in the nights and the days on this planet. It was as if the moons were jewels that take turns to illuminate the world.

A fall with a surprisingly safe landing, made Talya wonder if she can do it again, only this time on purpose. The attempted jump was successful, and she continued crossing the vast distance between the branches this way. The fun time turned scary when she missed the marked branch and landed safely on the next one. Looking up, Talya realized that there were over 150 meters from the start point of the jump and her current position.

“Good food and fresh air do miracles,” said Talya. There was lots of fresh air around, but her last decent meal was a slice of pizza before the flight. After that, it was just airplane food, a few waffles, and of course, the strange fruits. Talya’s thoughts flew back to the night when she ate the first fruit. She thought that if she had not eaten it, then maybe things would not get so complicated. Maybe Sam would still be here. Maybe they would have found a way out of the forest together. But, on the other hand, she felt that those fruits are the best thing that ever happened to her.

The growing distance between the branches, thick fungus on the tree logs, and diminishing light hinted that Talya is getting closer to the ground. The last jump took her to the lowest branch, and now she could see the dark-green earth between the trees. Talya stopped and listened to the silence of the forest. She was so focused on hearing the slightest sound that the sudden noise sounded deafening. Talya lost her balance and fell on the ground.

“This club has a terrible sound system,” she said while trying to stand up in the sticky mud covering the ground between the trees.

Her attempts only made her feet sink deeper. The buzzing sound was getting closer, so she needed to get away from the mud before some giant bee appeared. She wondered if jumping up would be easy and tried to reach the lowest branch. Unfortunately, her attempt failed miserably, and she found herself in the mud again.

“Ohh! The trajectory is key,” concluded Talya, staring at the human-shaped mud print on the lowest branch. She jumped again, and this time managed to grab the bark and climb up.

Talya hid behind the giant moss spheres growing on the tree a second before the source of the sound appears. The buzzing sound brought four creatures wearing the same type of clothes and vehicles under the tree. Talya felt that she needs to know more about them before saying hello. She stood still and waited to see what they will do next. Soon it became clear that the strangers are searching for the plane. Talya decided to show herself, but when they removed the helmets, she immediately reconsidered that decision. The strangers were not humans, so there was no way of knowing how they will treat her. Talya’s heart started beating faster, and thousands of thoughts ran through her head. Ever since the first day here, she pushed aside the idea that they are not on Earth. She knew that the only way to find all answers to her questions is to show herself to the locals. What stopped her was that the locals look a lot like soldiers. She could have a much better chance to make friends with a child or a friendly astronomer. The idea to be discovered by soldiers lead to thoughts of imprisonment and medical examinations, which most likely end with a dissection. Talya decided to observe them and let them find her. Her curiosity spiked even more when she noticed that they are different even from each other. After short conversation the soldiers split up, and Talya decided to go after one of them. Sandy, as she called him because of his skin with the color of dry sand, turned out to be “the bad guy in the scary movie”. Her breath stopped when she saw Sandy breaking another soldier’s neck. The killer left the crime scene, and she dared to go near the soldier laying in the mud. Surprisingly, he was not dead. His little eyes, hidden in deep eye sockets, stared at her.

“Kill me,” his breath wheezed.

“No! I can’t,” said Talya. Later she was about to wonder what scared her more – than the stranger asked her to end his life or that she was able to understand what he says.

“Yes,” said he. His eyes were calm even though he knew that he is about to die.

Talya looked at his neck and could swear that she can see the broken bones in his neck like on an x-ray picture. The mud was swallowing the soldier’s immovable body, so she had to act fast. She never thought she is capable of a murder, but could she leave him to choke to death in the mud? A small part of her mind reminded that soldiers sometimes do terrible things, so he probably deserves his fate. Another part pointed out that no one deserves to die in such a horrible way. Talya grabbed his hands and tried to pull him out. His body felt extremely heavy and did not move. She made several unsuccessful attempts, and, despite her effort, the man’s body was sinking into the mud fast.

“I can’t pull you out,” cried Talya.

His eyes turned to the weapon.

“There has to be another way,” said Talya, but still, she took the gun. “Do you have a radio? Do you want me to call the rest of your team?”

“My bag is for you,” he said, ignoring her question. His eyes turned to the trigger. “There.”

“No, I can’t. There has to be another way. Can’t your friends help you?”

He looked at her as if he could not understand what caused the delay:

“No. Do it now,” said the man as the mud swallowed his body.

Talya looked into his eyes. She had the feeling that she owed him something, but she had no idea what.

“What is your name? I am Talya.”

“Ziklat.”

“Ziklat,” she repeated. Her eyes clouded because of the tears, but she smiled while saying his name. “I am sorry!”

The soft light from the gunpoint illuminated the darkening forest. Talya walked away, sniveling quietly. Behind her, the mud hid the last signs of the soldier Ziklat. Talya climbed up to the tree hull with the soldier’s backpack. Guilt and doubts tortured her because she knew there had to be a better way to help a dying man. She could not leave him to suffocate in the mud. Why did he not agree to call his friends for help? Did they all wish him dead? Talya knew that what she did was a crime, and she intended to take responsibility for her actions. The idea to go to the rest of the soldiers completely vanished from her mind. If they were killing each other, she could think of worse things they could do to her. She needed to sleep and hoped that by tomorrow the horrors of this day would fade away. While Talya climbed, she heard the buzz getting near again and hurried up. She reached the tree hollow as the disc of the rising blue moon spread her sapphire blue rays over the forest. Talya noticed that all leaves are still open even though it was already night. Ghostly silence and darkness embraced the trees, and the silence echoed in her ears. In the next moment, something invisible threw Talya on the floor of the tree hull.

***

The daylight left the deepest parts of the forest to the greasy-green fog rising from the Sacred Forest’s mud. Slight sparkles flared in the soft mist and crashed into the dark soldiers’ uniforms.

“Where is Ziklat?” Asked Axar.

The others did not know. If Ziklat had found something or needed assistance, he would have informed the team over the radio.

“Ziklat, where are you?” Axar’s question remained without an answer. He called the soldier a few more times without success.

“We look for him,” suggested Opfya.

“It is against the regulations,” objected Bai. His black eyes sparkled.

“We continue with the mission. Let us make camp on the higher branches. The fog is getting thicker here,” continued the blue-eyed soldier.

They head up towards the night sky in silence. The blue-eyed soldier noticed movement on one of the lower branches, but the silhouette melted into a tree stalk. Axar checked the reference book and found no information about an animal capable of changing its’ color. He also studied the Sacred Forest’s legends, but ghost seemed like a stupid explanation to what he saw. Axar left aside the suspicions of invisible creatures and concentrated on the report he had to write. The devices found traces of simple alloy. No one in Evalette would use it to build ships because it was not strong enough. If the strange ship’s components were made of this alloy, then it was not made in the empire. Axar hoped that the remains of biological material they gathered might be sufficient for the scientists to determine the passengers’ species. For some reason, Axar felt the desire to find a living creature survival of the crash.

***

Talya coughed out the liquid. She tried to get up, but the invisible attacker pushed her to the ground and kept pouring juice down her throat from another strange fruit. She kicked the attacker, and he broke the icicles hanging over the hollow’s entrance as he ran away.

“And don’t come back!” Wheezed Talya coughing out the liquid from her lungs.

When she could breathe, she noticed the changed tree hull. The floor was covered with thick ice, and frost crawled up the walls towards the high dark ceiling. Talya walked outside and stopped, astonished by the breathtaking sight. It was as if a sculptor used only ice in blue and black to create a forest sculpture. The tree barks were under a thick layer of ice and snow, and the leaves had become giant ice sculptures. Snowflakes as big as her palm fell from the sky, gracefully swirling amongst the trees. Despite the effort, the thick clouds could not hide the bright disc of the blue moon. Talya returned to the hollow and looked for something to help her make a fire. A thick layer of ice was covering all suitcases and even the soldier’s backpack. Talya was surprised that despite her light clothing, she felt no cold. She blew out, and her breath crystalized in front of her face.

“It is damn cold, but I am not cold.”

This conclusion proved that she overcame another impossible situation for a human to survive in. It was time to search for the soldiers. Perhaps they could explain to her the strange world she was in. The only thing that stopped her was what is going to happen to her after discovering that she is different from them. The walk in the hollow could not help her find the answers to her questions. It was clear that she would not freeze to death, but boredom was another kind of a killer. Talya went outside and looked down. The soft light piercing through the ice-covered leaves in the darkness of the abyss below could be created only by the soldiers. She decided to check what they are doing and then decide if she will show herself or look for a way out of the forest alone.

Talya held the frozen tree stalk and moved down. Her shoe slipped on the ice, and she managed to stop her sliding a few branches below. A cloud of frost created by her fingernails joined the snowflakes that covered her. Talya held her breath, listening to the silence in the frozen forest. It seemed like the soldiers did not notice her majestic slip. She moved carefully and soon stood on the branch above the soldiers’ camp.

***

Karil walked in rage around his office for hours. The loss of profit and the growing number of frozen natives and guests of Lar could cost him his position as a Superior. At the beginning of the emergency meeting, his advisors were full of ideas. Now their solutions proved to be insufficient. The climate shield reached critical levels of overheating, and it was on the verge of exploding at any given moment. The entire city Lar could freeze if the generator failed. Even though the whole planet was suffering from the cold, the other fifteen settlements were not in such trouble because the scientists proved that the cold wave was coming from the Sacred Forest. Karil had always hated Ha’li’s forest, and now he regrated that he did not cut it. The atmosphere generators had taken over the air production long ago, so no one would notice a few missing trees.

“You assured me that there is nothing to worry about. Now we are freezing because of your incompetence!” Karil yelled at his advisors.

“Superior, there was no way that we could predict such a harsh climate,” said the advisor of the Blue Moon Matters.

“Where is that star-gazer? It seems that he is the only one who knows what is going on here! Send for him,” ordered Karil.

“Excuse me, Superior, but a scientist has no place here,” Secretary Mu said.

“Bring him here!” Ordered Karil and sat down on his chair. So many years have passed without the slightest problem, and now he had to deal with global cataclysm.

In another part of Lar’s palace, the Lead Scientist Galt Whereamai packed the few possessions he had. It was not hard to figure out who will be blamed for the weather outside. He tried to warn Karil about the upcoming cataclysm, but the horrible Secretary Mu constantly blocked him. There was no point in staying on Lar if no one took his advice seriously. He foretold the change in the trajectory of the dangerous asteroid two years ago. No one listened, and the planet was almost destroyed. Galt not only did not receive a reward, but Secretary Mu suggested punishment for him. This time the situation was far worse, and a really big trouble was coming down the short scientist’s way.

“Guards! Open up!”

Galt jumped, scared by the loud shouts and banging on the door.

“Superior Karil summons you,” said the guard.

“Regarding what?” Kindly ask the astronomer and open the door.

“Come now!”

“I, yes, yes… Just let me take a….”

The huge nightgown was harshly pulled out of the door along with the short scientist inside it.

“Well, all right. I guess I don’t need mu clothes. It must be warm in the superior’s office,” mumbled the scientist. He pulled down his hat, and embraced his body with his hands to protect it from the cold in the corridor.

The guards took Galt through the palace and opened the door of the meeting room. At the first moment, the warmth of the space embraced the scientist, but he had no chance to enjoy it. Even before he manage to greet the superior and the advisors, Galt was attacked with harsh words.

“Explain!”

“E-excuse me?” Galt was startled in confusion. The superior’s anger distracted him from the pleasant sensation of feeling the blood circulating through his toes.

“Superior Karil wants you to explain the reason for the sharp climate changes and what we can expect in the future,” said Mu.

“There is nothing to explain,” Galt said. “The weather is dependent on the moons. Now we are in the period of the Blue Moon, which means cold period.”

“Why did the plants not protect themselves? My entire garden is destroyed!”

No one in the room could believe what they heard. Thousands of citizens and guests of the planet were losing their products and lives while the superior cared only for his flowers.

“Because,” answered Galt, “for thousands of years, the cycle of each moon has been 76 days. The plants prepared themselves for the upcoming cold during the last days of the Red Moon, but this time they had no time.”

“My beautiful flowers… So young, so fragile… They perish!”

One of his advisors dared to interrupt the superior’s whining:

“Your subjects are also facing hard times. What measures are you going to take?”

“What measures!?” Karil was surprised. “They can leave the planet whenever they like! They can put some clothes on and get warm. Look at the little blossoms falling under the pressure of the freezing wind.”

“Now, I only need a new robe,” thought Mu and smiled, seeing the faces of the advisors. It was his time to become the hero.

“My advice is to turn on the military shield to support the climate barrier,” Mu said.

The advisors nodded in agreement.

“What about my flowers?” Continue Karil.

“The Silver Moon will bring new cycle, right?” Mu’s eyes were fixed on Galt.

“Ah? Hum. I guess so,” said Galt. The scientist had no idea if that was true. He just wanted to return to his room and get warm.

“You do not sound so sure,” snapped at him, Superior Karil.

“Well,” the astronomer’s throat was dry, “this is the greatest cataclysm in Lar’s history since Ha’li fell asleep after the last Alignment of the Moons. As I mentioned earlier, some scientists believe that the whole planet will be destroyed,” said Galt and stopped. No one wished to hear that, so he tried to come out of the situation. “Probably with the Silver Moon, a new cycle will start without major tragic consequences.”

“Probably,” repeated Mu. This was the perfect time to get rid of the scientist. “Probability is not a good answer. Do you know what will happen tomorrow? Can you read the stars?”

“Well, I cannot see the stars because of the clouds,” said Galt before realizing what was the goal of the question.

“Your incompetence has no place here. Leave this meeting,” said Mu and gave a sign to the guards to take the scientist out of the office. Then he turned to the advisors. “Now, if there is nothing else to be done, I will order the guards to turn on the military shield.”

All advisors agreed. The decision was made, and Mu went on:

“When the storm passes, I will organize rescue groups to help the distressed.”

“How can you be sure that it will stop?” Nagged the superior.

“With the sunrise, the power of the Blue Moon vanishes. We have to wait just a few hours until everything returns to normal,” said Mu’s with a voice colder than the weather outside. “It is too dangerous outside for the advisors. I ordered chambers to be prepared for all of you.”

“Fine. Send a report to the Imperial Administration,” said Karil staring at the ice sculpture his garden had turned into.

Mu could not care less about the safety of the advisors. The important thing was that they would be together and discuss Karil’s incompetence to deal with this situation. They were going to be his greatest supporters when he reaches for the superior’s position.

***

Talya took a good look at Sandy and concluded that up close, he is even uglier. His sinister black eyes were like two endless pits, and his skin looked like desert mud. She could not tell which is a scar and which a skin pore. Sandy looked like every beautician’s gold mine. The coldness radiating out of him and the recent murder turned him into a living example of a serial killer from a horror movie. Talya decided to stay away from him if that is possible.

She could not see the face of the second soldier because he had his back turned to the light. He appeared to be shorter than the other two and not as strong as them. His hair, if it could be called that, resembled red moss. His skin was orange and covered with small yellow scales on the back of his neck.

The last soldier was leaning on the tree stalk with his hands crossed over his chest. Talya moved to see his face better and noticed that he is closer to a human than the others. She could swear that when she saw him for the first time, his skin was bright white like hers, and the hair was silvery white. Now, under the faint light, he looked more like a perfect dark-grey marble statue cut through by deep blueish scars. Talya stared at him in admiration. Unlike anyone else and a little bit scary, he remained one of the most attractive men she had ever laid her eyes on.

Talya could enjoy the sight of the soldier all night long, but Sandy caught her attention. Very quietly and without sudden moves, the ugly soldier took a small box out of his bag. He opened it, took out a thin tube, and put something inside it. Talya thought that this resembles the tubes used by some tribes on Earth to shoot poisonous darts during a hunt. Knowing what Sandy did a few hours ago, Talya decided not to allow anyone else to be killed before her eyes. Her first idea was to show herself, but she rejected that it. The alternative was to throw something at the sleeping men, but only ice and snow were around. In her anger, she hit the frozen branch causing the ice to break into small pieces. There was no way that she is that strong, but it was not the time to admire her new abilities. She took a piece of ice and threw it at the handsome soldier. Although the ice flew a few centimeters away from him, the man opened his eyes.

Bai felt the blue eyes fixed on him and hid the small tube in his sleeve:

“Having nightmares?”

Axar did not answer. He looked at the other soldier and saw that the sleeping man breaths deeply. His eyes turned to Bai again.

“Sleep without worries. It is my watch,” said Bai with a smile that could frighten any monster hiding under the bed.

Axar’s glowing blue eyes hid under the eyelids. Bai waited for a while and shot the poisonous crystal. The box with the weapon vanished in his bag. He felt ready to concentrate on the upcoming duel with Axar. Tomorrow he was about to remove the last obstacle standing between him and the post promised by the emperor. A crooked smile rose on the soldier’s face when he thought of his ambitious plan. One day he was not going to hesitate and take the place of Military Advisor Veles. Bai only had to continue with his persistence in dropping the competition.

Talya saw how the dart split the frozen air and got stuck between the yellow scales of the sleeping soldier. The thin crystal got smaller until it disappeared completely. Sandy’s pleased expression made her sick. She threw one more piece of ice at the blue-eyed man to prevent the death of the third soldier. She hit the tree next to him, but he did not open his eyes. Talya thought that he might pretend to be asleep on purpose. Maybe they all wanted to kill each other. She could never understand the backstabbing behavior some people have. She was not on Earth, but here the creatures were just as evil and cunning as most people back home.

Talya had no desire to watch the soldiers and returned to the tree hollow. She was so furious that she did not even ask herself how it was possible to climb up the glassy ice without slipping. She tried to relax on the pile of clothes, but they had frozen unevenly and hurt her back, so she lay on the floor. Dark thoughts circled in her head like vultures. What did her life turn into? First the plane crashed on this strange world, she lost Sam, she killed a man, and now she allowed another man to be killed. This was the worst week of her life so far.

Day 5

The strong hits on the door invaded the scientist’s dream.

“Who is it?” Asked Galt, half-asleep. The exhaustion after the long day in the lab and the tension of the meeting with the superior made him fall asleep right away. Still sleeping, Galt’s mind ordered the body to leave the warm blankets and head to the door.

“Guards! Open the door!”

Sent to his room by the guards and woken up by the guards. The astronomer could claim that his life had taken a wrong turn.

“I’m coming,” said Galt dragging legs over the floor. He threw a glance at his reflection in the mirror and anxiously jumped to find his hat and glasses. “I knew I should have cut it! Why did I not cut it? Where is my hat? Where is it?”

The door hinges screeched under the heavy fist of the guard:

“Open the door by order of the superior!” The guard’s roar showed his growing anger.

Galt finally found the hat and pulled it down so low that it almost covered his eyes. The important thing was to hide the treacherous hair. His hat was ruined beyond repair, and even the deep cleaning could not remove the dirt from the yellow fabric and especially from the fluffy balls. Galt had to use a spare one six sizes larger until the tailors made a new Lead Scientist hat for him. Because of the size, Galt had to adjust the enormous hat all the time to keep it from swallowing his head. A dozen hairpins helped, but he had no time to look for them and place them now. Galt walked towards the door holding the hat in its place with his hands. He tripped a few times and pushed down a pile of books. The top book glided all the way to the floor and created a landslide. Galt let the items fall and rushed to the door before the guards break it.

“How may I help you?” Asked Galt politely and rubbed his nose. He had to let go of the hat for a moment to open the heavy door, and the cap did not miss this opportunity to fall over his face. The Lead Scientist lost the world out of sight for a moment, but that was enough for the door to almost crush his nose.

“We are here to deliver a message,” said the guard and opened a piece of paper. “By order of Mu, Superior of System Lar is being ordered as follows. Two dots. First, Lead Scientist Galt Whereamai is released from all current positions and duties in Lar’s Administration and Science Departments. The former employee shall be paid all due amounts and compensations for his service with Superior Karil. Second, Galt Whereamai is to leave the premises of Lar Palace without delay. Third, it is forbidden for the ex-employee Galt Whereamai to discuss with whomever whatever aspect of his service matters or conversations he witnessed during his service. Should any prohibition be violated, Galt Whereamai is to be punished according to the laws of Empire Evalette. Signed by the Highly Respected Great Superior Mu.”

“Excuse me, the great who?” Whispered Galt.

“Superior Mu.”

“When did he…”

“This morning, the advisors of Lar made the decision, and the Imperial Administration approved it. Superior Karil was relieved from his duties at once. The only heir of his wealth and position as a Superior of System Lar was appointed Secretary Mu. Long live Superior Mu!”

The rest of the guards vigorously yelled the last words after their leader. Galt jumped, scared from the loud noise, and instinctively tried to hide behind the door. He hit his nose again.

“Yes, long live,” mumbled the ex-Lead Scientist.

The guards stabbed him with fierce eyes. Galt remembered research performed over men in uniform. If you do not share the slogans’ enthusiasm and shout with them as loud as possible, they believe you are making fun of them {Many who made that mistake wish that someone had warned them sooner. In this case, just like many others before, a person is learning best from their mistakes}.

“Get out of the palace by noon, or I’ll kick you out myself!” Roared the chief guard and shoved the order in Galt’s hands.

Galt took a step back because of the hard push. He was holding the door and the order, so the hat fell over his face again.

“My bags are already packed,” said the scientist without making an effort to adjust the hat. When he did, he saw that the guards had already left.

The loss of employment is terrible news, but for Galt, this unexpected freedom was most welcome. The great job Galt did since the first day here inspired Mu to charge the scientist with the management of all science departments. The position of Lead Scientist came with various duties and responsibilities, a miserable payment, and no time for free time. On top of everything, Mu blamed him for every little thing. Nothing good could come to him under Mu’s government. Now he could choose what to do with his time, and the countless opportunities gave birth to exciting ideas.

He packed his belongings in a hurry and tidied up the room. He returned the books to the library and returned to get his belongings. Galt looked at the little room for the last time. Small even for the pauper’s shack standards with a tiny window on the ceiling, this was his peaceful home for three years.

“Seems like all good things come to an end,” sighted Galt.

He went to the administration office, and after finishing the paperwork, he had left only to say his goodbyes to the rest of the scientists. They sent their unemployed colleague to the main gates. The kind gesture deeply touched Galt because the bookworms were rarely seen outside.

Galt stood at the palace doors enjoying the warm sun. The heat was returning to Lar, and the only memories of the storm were the puddles on the streets. The palace, built on a hill, rose above the city and the endless desert that separated the cities on Planet Lar. The only other high ground on this side of the horizon was the mountain close to the Sacred Forest. Galt took the road leading to the capital City Lar. This was the most famous and busiest town on the planet, offering countless possibilities for enrichment and impoverishment to all visitors and residents. Galt intended to spend a few days roaming the market until he decides the new direction towards unknown adventures. He had yet to decide if he will stay for the Alignment of the Moons and risk his life or leave before the destruction of the planet.

The guests who came to show respect towards their new superior pushed aside the short person with a hood and big glasses that covered most of his face. They did not care about science and had no idea who Galt was. For them, the unemployed scientist was a tiny creature staring at them from the middle of a mud puddle.

The scientist came out of the puddle, and after a quick clean-up, managed to remove most of the dirt from his clothes and shoes. Galt took a deep breath of fresh air. For years he spent the days and nights in the lab and the library of the palace. Now, it was time to act upon an old dream, and a little bit of mud was not going to darken his mood. With a cheerful smile, Galt walked towards the city and the new life.

***

Talya yawned and stretched on her way out of the tree hull. For the first time in a while, she woke up in a good mood, and without any strange events occurring around her. The sensation of spring was in the air. The only sign of the ice from the previous night were the puddles over the giant leaves and in the pores of the tree bark. The sun was shining again through the transparent leaves, creating a waterfall of bright green rays. Her thinning food supplies were now just a pile of empty wrappings. All clothes were torn beyond recognition and scattered around. It looked as if a wild animal came to visit while she was sleeping. Talya took a sip from one of the puddles and smiled. She could not remember tastier water. She used the rest to bathe and put on some of the good clothes. The condition of the remaining clothes and the lack of food and water to last for a long time meant that it is time to meet the only intelligent creatures in this forest and hope for the best. She had no idea what they will do to her, and her fears drew a dark future. She was worried that Sandy is the only living soldier. If that was the case, she decided to stay away from him and find the way out of the forest herself. She carefully went down the tree to the place where the soldiers’ camp was. Only the slight burn on the tree bark from the campfire showed that they were here last night. She listened but could not hear the buzz of their vehicles. Talya continued her descent to the ground.

***

Mist whirled around the giant trees. Its ghostly waves embraced the fighting men and spread aside, chased away by their fast moves. Bai was prepared for a swift victory, but the enemy turned out to be tougher than he expected. Soon Bai began to lose, so he used the poisonous crystal he had prepared for Axar.

“Any last words?” Bai grinned as he watched his opponent trying to remove the crystal from his back.

The moment when the crystal pierced Axar’s skin, the poison started working. Shortly after that, his body stopped following the orders of his mind. The blue-eyed soldier swayed and fell to the ground. Axar tried to get up, but Bai kicked him in the stomach.

“You will die slowly. The poison takes a few seconds to immobilize your body, but it will be a long time until your organs stop working. Knowing how fast the mud swallows everything, you will have the same fate as Ziklat. He sunk in the mud and suffocated. I helped him a little bit by breaking his neck, but he did the rest all by himself. Maybe you wonder why he did not call for help. I broke his radio. Well, he could shout, but as we found out, the sound doesn’t spread in this forest. It must be because of the curse they are talking about.”

Bai shouted from the depths of his lungs. The sound disappeared in the darkness of the nearby trees. Happy with the proven point, he continued:

“Perhaps you wonder why I killed so many of us. I will grant you your last wish and let you know. First, because that is the way I will get what I want. Second, how can I explain it so that you can understand? No, there is no way. I did it for my pleasure. Pleasure is a feeling, but you do not have any of those, right? For you, life is only orders and missions. You shoot and sleep. You have no dreams, plans for the future, or desires. You do not even speak! Well, I want to be somebody. At first, I just wanted to survive the tests and the battles. Then, I met you, and I felt hate, so I decided to kill you last. When Hatra and Emperor Belfor started giving awards and praises to my work, I felt that there would be brighter days for me. Then, the opportunity to work directly for the emperor appeared, so I took the necessary actions to eliminate the competition.”

All through the speech, Axar tried to fight back the poison and the enemy. He tried to stand up and continue the fight, but Bai hit or kicked him every time, and Axar fell again. Bai was having fun with this situation and decided to extend his pleasure even more. He took out his knife and walked towards Axar. Something in the bags beeped and drew Bai’s attention.

“Hatra is calling. Quiet! Do not ruin my plan,” said Bai and opened a small lid of the flat blinking box. The fleshless expression of Commander Hatra appeared above the communicator. “I was just about to report.”

“It does not matter,” interrupted him Hatra. “Superior Karil has been replaced. We have no request for assistance from the new superior. Abort the mission. You all must return as soon as possible.”

Bai thought that it was the best moment to brag:

“Commander, Axar went crazy and killed the rest. I managed to stop him. I am the only survivor.”

The few seconds of silence meant that the Commander was considering the situation.

“Return at once,” said Hatra, and his ghostly face disappeared.

“Did you hear that? Nobody cares. That is how the superiors treat us. Officially I am the winner of our 10,000 players competition. Too bad we couldn’t find anything important here. It would only solidify my new post. You know, you should be flattered,” hissed Bai standing over the paralyzed soldier. “I chose this poison carefully because I intended to watch you suffer for a long time. I guess I’ll just leave you here to die alone while I get promoted.”

Bai put his knife away, raised his dirty boot, and pushed Axar’s face in the mud,

“Tell me, why you never speak? You just give short answers, short orders, and everyone must obey,” Bai relieved the pressure and Axar’s face came out of the mud. “Say something. It will be your last words.”

The blue eyes flashed amongst the dark mud covering Axar’s face:

“I will kill you.”

Axar’s voice was calm and even. He spoke quietly, but it seemed as if the words echoed in the entire forest. Bai’s smile froze, and a spark of fear flashed in his eyes. His opponent rarely spoke, but whatever he said always happened.

“I’ll be waiting to see you do that,” nodded Bai. His heavy boot pushed Axar’s face in the mud again. A cruel smile stretched the dry lips. “They say that this forest has ghosts. Soon you will be one of them.”

Talya witnessed the last stage of the fight. Sandy acted like the typical bad guy, and instead of just killing the hero, he gave a speech and served kicks to fill up the dramatic pauses. Now, she was watching one more person fighting for a breath of air.

“You are having a déjà vu. Stay out of it!” Said the voice of common sense in her head.

“I have enough corpses on my conscience already. I don’t want anymore.”

“It’s their business. You will only get in trouble. Is it worth getting in trouble for him?” Insisted the voice.

“Well, he is hot,” Talya smiled.

“Great, just what we needed! The princess will save the knight from the monster.”

The last comment of Talya’s common sense faded under the pouring ideas of how she could help. She saw the soldiers’ guns leaning against a tree. The idea to sneak around the killer and get one of them was doomed to fail. Besides, she would probably shoot herself before discovering how to use them. The only other thing around her were fungus spheres, which did not seem like a proper weapon against a trained soldier. Talya picked several small fungus orbs. She threw one at the giant fungus spheres hanging over the fighting men, and they started falling on the ground with a heavy „blop“. It seemed that this worked because Sandy stepped away from his pray.

“Look at this! I guess there really are ghosts in the forest,” Bai bent over and lowered his voice. “I’m afraid of ghosts. I allow you to learn this little secret because you will die soon.”

“That’s right! Run!” Thought Talya as she watched how Sandy mounts his vehicle and disappears behind the trees. She waited for a while in case the killer decides to return and then climbed down. She cleaned up the soldier’s face and heard breathing. He was unconscious. Now, the question was how to get him to the tree hollow.

“That is enough. Drag him next to a tree and get lost,” said the voice of reason.

“Shut up! I won’t leave my job half done.”

Talya tried to lift the man. He was way taller and heavier than her, and the mud was already swallowing him. She had no desire to give up and pulled him by the clothes. Talya got so concentrated on the effort that she got scared when the heavyweight vanished. As she was falling back, she saw the soldier’s body flying in the air. He reached the highest point of his flight and dropped a few meters away from the start point.

“I killed again!” screamed Talya, terrified, and ran through the sticky mud to check if the soldier is alive. She turned him over on his back and cleared his face. He opened his eyes for a moment. “You are awake!? If I throw you a few more times, you might get perfectly healthy.”

They were out of the mud, but now Talya had to decide whether to stay here or go to the tree hollow. She had no idea how to transport him so high. She could try to throw him from one branch to another, but she feared that there would not be much left of him to be saved after that.

“This is a horrible idea,” she warned herself while looking at the vehicle leaning against the tree.

Talya rested the wounded man against the tree and got busy exploring the strange transport. It looked like a scooter with a small trunk. The steering wheel had a driving panel covered with buttons in different colors and two monitors in the center of the controls. Talya pushed the blue button on the board. This brought the monitors to life – the left monitor glowed with lines dividing it horizontally and vertically, while the right one showed a schematic of the vehicle and strange symbols. The red button on the right side of the control board drew her attention, and she pushed it. The rocket flew centimeters away from the wounded man’s face and exploded after hitting the tree a hundred meters away. The soldier opened his eyes for a moment.

“Red buttons are bad. Don’t push red buttons,” said Talya to herself while watching the fading flames in the distance.

By carefully avoiding the dangerous color, Talya managed to figure out how the vehicle works. All functions were shown on the right monitor, while the left one helped with the movement orientation. The engine stopped a couple of times, and once, she almost hit a tree, but leaving this aside, her driving lesson was quite pleasant. With the soldier’s backpack on her back and the soldier hanging like dirty clothes over the vehicle, Talya drove up towards the safety of the tree hollow.

She left the wounded man next to the tree hollow’s entrance and lit up the fire. After that, it was time to attend to his wounds. She prepared the medical kit from the plane but then realized that human medicine could be harmful to his species. Talya took out everything from the soldiers’ bags and discovered a few plasters and bottles carrying the decent smell of a hospital {It was proven that all hospitals and medical equipment in the Universe have the same smell}. Even so, Talya decided to test them by spraying different tree parts with the liquids from the bottles. Since there was no smoke or a fast-growing bubbling pit, the experiment could be considered successful. With a little bit of luck, her patient might live. Talya removed the man’s thorn shirt. She cleaned up all wounds carefully and tried not to get distracted too much by the sight of his perfect body. He had an impressive collection of scars. Some were deep and horrifying, as if the flesh was pulled in different directions. She carefully sewed up the wound on his back and put bandages on it. Talya could only hope that his immune system will defeat the poison.

Pleased by her medical and driving successes, Talya decided to get familiar with the rest of the devices in the soldiers’ bags. One of the devices turned out to be an encyclopedia. The signs were different from those on the vehicle, so Talya assumed they were written in different languages. It did not matter if it was one strange language or another when she could not read them. Pressing labels and icons led her to a list of strange creatures. The pictures were proof that the aliens in the science fiction movies are pretty flowers compared to the real ones.

After the encyclopedia, Talya decided to learn how to use the weapons. She had a few stressful situations, but the consequences were just a slight burn of the wounded man’s hair tips. It was a narrow escape, given the fact that his hair is just a few millimeters long. The more serious matter was the grenade explosion about ten meters below the hollow that shook the entire tree. Talya convinced herself that a crater the size of a garage on the tree stem couldn’t be called eco-terrorism. She simply helped with the creation of a new hollow. Everyone knows that in the forest, the leaves fall, and the trees have hollows. That could be omitted from the list of crimes she kept in her mind. The accident with the vehicle, on the other hand, was a real problem, and she intended to take full responsibility for it.

Talya left the rest of the soldier’s property for later examinations and got busy tidying up. She had to leave this place with or without the soldier. There was no food in the forest, and she had no desire to be alone for the rest of her life.

***

Galt had no place to go, so he roamed around the market all day long. Ever since he came to Lar, he spent all his time working and never took a day off to see the city. Galt realized that he likes being outside even though the crowds scared him a little bit. His entire life so far was spent in the silence of the science rooms or the library. On rare occasions, when other people were around, they were no more than 20 or maybe 30 scientists. The crowded streets offered encounters with strange and even dangerous creatures he had only read about in the books. Galt quickly learned that the scientists’ robes worked as protection and made the pedestrians keep their distance to avoid trouble with the guards. On the other hand, if Galt were caught wearing the scientist’s robes without a working permit, he would get in trouble. He had to change his clothes, and the diversity of people on the market gave some incredible ideas.

It was a pleasant day, except that Galt almost found himself in the stomach of a giant tiltria and fell in the mud a couple of times. Even the mess with the accidental fire, extinguished after only a dozen street stalls have burned, could not be called a terrifying experience. Galt could not be blamed for the fire because he only tripped over in his giant robes and pushed a street stall with fruits. One of the fruits fell on the ground, rolled away, and stopped on the street. Then, a street performer, who was just showing his fire mastery tricks, stepped on the fruit’s hard and spiky shell. The performer screamed out of pain, lost his balance, and dropped the flame-thrower. The crowd laughed when the burst of flames flew over their heads and vanished high above. The more delicate fabrics on the stalls caught on fire, and the flames spread all around. Galt was already far away and even made way for the guards rushing to extinguish them. The heavy rain that just started pouring put out the rest of the fire, and the market returned to normal.

The falling night brought the Silver Moon’s rains and reminded the unemployed scientist that he has no place to sleep. Galt rented a room in one of the numerous hotels in the suburbs of the city. This night he had to decide if he will leave the planet or stay on Lar for the Alignment of the Moons. He had to choose between the opportunity to see an extremely rare event up close and probably risk his life or watch from a safe distance. Looking at the falling rain, the scientist was searching for answers. The countless drops shaped ghostly images, crashed them into pieces, and transformed them into something else. Galt’s childhood dreams came to life and whispered of adventures. He saw himself overcoming dangers to reach hidden treasures in forgotten parts of the Universe. He dreamed of journeys ever since he could remember. Finally, the courage to escape from his aunt led him to freedom. His disguise was not perfect, but no one paid attention to the scientists on this trade planet. Galt came to Lar to hide for a while before continuing his trip, but then he just hid in the library. The memory of his empty promises to himself caused pain that cut through his heart. Galt lost all confidence and thought that perhaps he should go back and beg Mu for his work or at least for some position in the library. The thought that maybe it will be better to return to his aunt sent shivers up and down his spine. Visions from the past rushed into the small room. The unpleasant memories awoke unsuspected determination that rekindled his desire to escape from his horrible relative. Galt’s thoughts ran between his memories of household imprisonment and the adventure stories in the books. Galt gathered all answers to his questions and measured them with an invisible scale.

“I shall never be afraid again!” said Galt, clenching fist at the rain. “I will not hide behind dusty books full of dry knowledge. Instead, I will go out and meet the world with open arms! I will live, and I will have thousands, no, even million adventures, and no one will stop me!”

The future adventurer did not realize how the passionate promise directed towards the Universe rose his voice and disturb the peace of the other residents of the inn. Then, a muffled shout came from the next room:

“Shut up, or my fist will stop you!”

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to bother you,” said Galt, ashamed of his lack of consideration towards the other visitors.

Hours passed until Galt calmed down. After a few threats that came from other rooms, he forced himself to sit on the bed. He never took off his clothes because he was worried that someone might steal them through the night, but removed the glasses because they were fake anyway, and continued planning the future until plans and dreams became one.

***

The monotonous murmur of the raindrops made Talya sleepy. She took the soldier’s gun and leaned on the wall across the wounded man. Just a few minutes of rest would be more than enough. Talya closed her eyes and listened to the countless raindrops hitting the leaves. The gentle sound of water flowing down the tree bark reminded her of a calm mountain spring she went camping next to back on Earth. A sharp crack drew Talya out of the nap. She jumped and pointed the gun around the room. It took a few seconds to realize that there is no trouble, and the soldier is just as she left him. She went out to get some fresh air and saw that the green and beautiful leaves are now turning dark. Talya smelled the air and smiled at the light aroma of rain. A giant leaf fell and knocked down others on its way to the ground. That was the sound that woke her up.

Talya returned inside to check the wounds of the soldier. All bruises were gone, and the deep wound on his back had turned into an almost healed scar. Surprised by his fast healing, she wondered how long it would be until he regains consciousness. She took the ropes Sam found in the plane and tied up the soldier.

“Right! You might not be comfortable, but I don’t want you to leave before you try my cookies,” said she while checking the knots.

Talya covered the soldier with a blanket and went outside. The rays of the silver moon broke through the tiny drops and turned them into falling jewels. All leaves were gone, and now the rain was pouring over the bare branches where the countless drops formed rivers running down the cracks of the tree bark. Talya saw huge spheres filled with crystal-clear liquid growing on the branches where the leaves used to grow. She stood under one of them and looked at the transparent liquid with colorful rainbows ran all over the surface.

“Like soap bubbles,” Talya barely touched the sphere, and it broke. The clear liquid spilled and covered her head to toe. It had no smell, and the hit was not stronger than the falling rain, but Talya fainted.

***

The short caterpillar’s face took the color of an overripe eggplant:

“You are killing me! You are good for nothing! First, you broke Master’s rare dinner sets. Then you let the taliki out of their cages. Do you know how hard it is to catch those tiny cattle?! Now you blew up one of the docks!”

Overseer Blla circled around Sam, furious. It was strange how something resembling a chewed and spat-out caterpillar about 30 centimeters high can hold so much anger inside. Sam’s instinct was to crush the overseer with his double-reinforced boots and happily scrape out the remains. But, right now, he could not afford such frivolities.

“I am not familiar with the technology,” calmly said Sam. He enjoyed seeing Blla’s face change its color from bright blue to bright orange and then to dark eggplant shade. Yesterday, Sam got Blla so mad that the overseer’s eyes popped out {A curious feature of Blla’s species is that they can remove their body parts and bones from the joints and, after that, return them in place. An exception was the accident with Lzdru, but there is still no evidence found for outside interference}. The problem was fixed in the hospital, and not an hour later, the overseer’s squeaky voice echoed in the corridors again.

“This time, you will get what you deserve! This time I’ll crush you! I’ll…”

“Blla, what is the problem?”

“This one is causing trouble,” the overseer pointed at Sam.

The veiled creature with the sweet voice turned to Sam. He had seen a few others like her. The different colors showed their duties on the ship; the more decorations their clothes had, the higher up the hierarchy they stood. They were called zinty and were the only ones allowed to go near the Master who owned this ship and the palanquin with the orange veils. This zinty was wearing pink clothes decorated with expensive gems and precious metals. This meant that she attends to the Master’s bed chambers and especially the bedtime entertainments.

The pink scarf turned to Blla:

“Do what you usually do.”

“I cannot,” whine the overseer. “He is a special property.”

The covered figure took her time to study Sam.

“Fine, then send him to the Darkness for a while. I will inform the Master,” she said and walked down the hall.

“You hear that you giekh?” Blla grinned. “You are going to a very dark and dangerous place, and you will be there until I say so.”

“Lead the way,” smiled Sam. The Darkness was one of the few places on the ship Sam had no desire to visit. He expected something more impressive from the punishment room that terrified every worker on the ship. Instead, the Darkness’ entrance was roughly cut in the wall and hidden behind a curtain so that it doesn’t spoil the beautiful decor of the corridor. The door was just a big piece of metal, and only the steady latch hinted about the room’s dark purpose.

“Don’t be surprised if I forget where you are,” laughed the overseer. “And don’t walk far from the door. You might get lost in the tunnels. It’s a labyrinth. I won’t come looking for you!”

“I’m here anyway, so I better look around,” said Sam when the door closed.

Sam left his jacket next to the door. He turned left and walked carefully, sliding his left palm on the wall. His right hand stretched forward because he did not want to hit a wall. Sam counted his steps and tried to keep them the same length. The walls were smooth and felt the same, but occasionally, he felt a thin line made of a different material. The lines were about five centimeters wide, started from the floor, and rose higher than he could reach. Sam tapped with his nails on them, and their metallic sound reminded him of wind chimes. He calculated that the lines on the wall are eleven steps apart. Knowing this, it was easier to measure his progress by counting them instead of his steps.

The seventh line was missing its cover. Sam’s fingers investigated the hollow. It felt like a half-pipe with smooth walls that were just a few centimeters in diameter. He glid his hand down, and something stung his fingers when he reached the floor. He moved his hand around and found a thin fiber coming out of the center of the crack. Sam stood up, running the fiber between his fingers. It ended at the level of his eyes. He held the end in one hand and explored the crack higher with his other hand. There was another fiber hanging down. The mystery was solved. Each of the strange-sounding panels was a lamp, and the electric chain was cut here. Despite Sam’s limited knowledge of this kind of electric wiring, he decided to fix it. He remembered a device the technicians used to reconnect torn electric wires. The plan is to learn how to use the tool, steal one and repair the lamp formed in a blink.

Sam left one of his shoes next to the broken lamp and kept exploring. After the 20th lamp on the wall, his hand fell into nothing. Sam moved his fingers over the smooth wall and followed it beyond the edge of a corner leading to more unknown tunnels. Sam decided to go back. The slaves on the ship claimed that there were monsters in the Darkness, and Blla mentioned that some of the locked here were found dead. Sam had no intention to find out if the stories are true. He returned to the door a moment before the guards open it.

“Where is your shoe?” Asked one of the guards.

“Even If I tell, you will never believe me,” said Sam.

“Did the monsters tried to eat you?” Asked one of the guards.

“Well, maybe you will believe me,” smiled Sam. No one will suspect anything if he joins the group of witnesses.

“Tell us. It’s been a while since we’ve heard a nice story,” said the first guard.

Sam fabricated a worthy fairy tale by adding already known facts. The guards took him to Blla, where the story was repeated with even more vivid details. Sam said that he threw his missing shoe at the monster to save himself.

“If you cause trouble, I’ll send you back to the Darkness,” snapped at him Blla.

“Just not the same place. The monster might wait for me, and this time he will eat me,” said Sam and made sure his fear is noticeable.

“On the contrary! That is where you will go! The monster will know where to find breakfast,” Blla smiled joyfully.

The guards took Sam to the sleeping quarters. He spent some time asking around about the Darkness, but it seemed that it had no other purpose besides time out for the slaves. Everyone was so scared of the dark and the tales of monsters that no one went far from the door. The curiosity was eating Sam alive, and he was not going to have peace until he found out where the tunnels lead. It was not logical to lock away an entire section of the ship because of a broken light circuit. The great mystery was that he had not seen lamps like those in the Darkness anywhere around the ship. This was a completely different technology, and Sam wished to learn more about it.

31st October 2020, Yana

Yana: Thank you for reading the entire story! I made the first chapters of my novels ‘Talya and the Sapphire Tears Crown of the Immortal Dar’ and ‘Phoenix Fleet’ available. If you wish to purchase my novels or learn more about me, check the Hello! page. Please, don’t steal my work. I have never known a person who stole from me or hurt me and lived happily ever after. Not a threat; it is a proven fact. Enjoy the stories, and be happy!