Anarchy: Revolution

Yuria 7

The freighter slipped out of hyperspace as the green and blue of a planetary cluster came into view, the stars snapping back into place around it like scattered frost on black glass. The entire journey had been made in relative silence. The only noise came from the steady hum of the twin engines beneath the deck plates, the occasional tick of cooling metal, and the soft, uneven rattle of cargo restraints settling after the jump.

Though the ship outwardly looked like a rust bucket, all patched hull plating, scuffed paint, and mismatched panels, the interior was surprisingly well-kept. The corridor lights glowed warm instead of harsh, the floors had been scrubbed clean of engine grease, and every loose tool had been returned to its proper slot.

Valiant let out a soft grunt, glancing at the crystalline being out of the corner of his eye. “You don’t know anything, do you?”

“About what, exactly? I’m a doctor, not a politician,” Talis replied, his eyes tracking the distance to the nearest outer planet of the small system. “Beautiful.”

“A friend tells me it reminds him of the planet called Earth in the Sol system. You were a target because you would have spoke truth when others wanted you to lie. That’s why they wanted you out of the way,” the reptilian pilot muttered as his clawed fingers neatly danced over the controls. “Entering gravitational pull. Buckle up, Doc.”

Talis sat in the other seat, his shaking hands creating a musical tinkle when they touched the metal of the belt. Something the Concloian said snagged in his mind, his eyes widening. “You have a Terran friend? Here?”

“No, he’s in a hidden location that the Coalition doesn’t know about.”

The ship jolted slightly as the gravity pulled them toward the small dark blue planet. Landing gear dropped, the hydraulics cushioning the freighters arrival. There was a hiss of air as the interior pressure altered to match the outside, and, for a brief moment, Talis found it hard to breathe. As the airlock opened, a massive blast of warmth hit the interior.

Grabbing several of the crates from the stacks in the cargo hold, Valiant walked off the loading ramp and onto the dusty planes of the planet. Glancing around, he growled low. The deep vibration echoed through the air, answered by the chirps and other noises of the insectoid creatures that lived in the area.

An older being that looked like someone had given a cricket steroids and the ability to walk upright stepped from the shadows. “Is that you, Valiant?”

“Blind as a bat, but the vibration still brought you running,” the Concloian commented in rebuttal. Stopping, he shook his head. “Damn it. I’m starting to sound like Tryk.”

Taking it upon himself to assist the reptilian who literally saved his life, Talis grabbed another crate with the word Yuria stamped on it. “Which Yurian post is this?”

Another insectoid moved forward, claiming the crate in its six arms. “Yuria 7. The place they send the old and the useless. The place where they send their people to die, but the Anarchy helps with supplies.”

“That’s horrific,” Talis said.

“That’s life for our people, Arian. Those who can no longer serve their purpose are sent away from the healthier people so that only the strong and bodily-able can survive.”

Valiant listened as he cracked the top on a crate of compacted vegetables and fruit blocks he’d repurposed from the shipment that was supposed to go to Yuria 4. Within seconds, the older beings started passing out food and clean water to the younger ones who needed it more.

Talis watched as Valiant cracked the seal on another crate, then another. One was medicine and supplies meant for the very people in front of him, another was filled with more food, and the third was filled with containers of clean drinking water. “You do this often?”

“Their leaders see them as useless, my friends and I see them as potential. Tryk, the human I mentioned, calls our crew the Robin Hoods of space. Whatever that means,” the Concloian grumbled. “The richer places don’t notice a crate or two missing when they are flaunting their contracts and lifestyle, so we redistribute them to the lesser planets and gain allies along the way.”

Another message from the unknown sender lit Talis’s communicator. He’d removed the Arian tags from it before they left Lumari, and that should have stopped all transmissions, but here was a message on the screen.

‘Tell the overgrown lizard to answer his damn transmission!’

“Uh, Valiant?” Talis held out the device. “It’s for you.”

Taking the device in his humanoid hand, Valiant let out a barking laugh. Pressing a button on his shoulder mount, he grunted a question into the transmitter. His face broke into a laugh as he shook his head, his yellow eyes flashing pink with irritation. “Talk to me, Axel. Wait, Bane wants what? Why?”

Unable to hear the other end of the conversation, Talis started walking around the area, stopping now and then to ask questions and give treatment to those who accepted his aid. As he passed a smaller alcove, he caught the sound of a tiny, almost imperceptible whimper. Scowling, he stepped into the darkened area, stopping to listen for the sound once again.

Something scraped along the ground as a shadow pulled back from the slats of dusty light that poured in from outside. Another scrape was followed by the sound of something falling and crashing before the whimper became a squeal of shocked surprise.

Moving quickly, he followed the sound until he spotted it. A small, black and white striped Weaver was huddled in a corner. Spines ran along its back like armour, its six arms wrapped around a fractured cephalothorax while one leg was bent at an unnatural angle. Six eyes – four fixed and two wandering – constantly moved in patterns that clocked everything. One pair of arms was thicker than the others, obviously meant for carrying or capturing items.

Kneeling, Talis steadied his breathing as he held out a mineral block. “You’re hungry, aren’t you, little one? It’s alright. You can have it.”

It crawled forward, sniffing the air and watching anxiously as the unknown creature held perfectly still. It spit out a stream of white silk, encasing the food ration before pulling it out of the strange beings hand. Taking it in two tiny manipulators, it hungrily devoured the block before looking for more. It crawled forward, dragging the broken leg behind it as it went.

As it got closer, Talis could make out the feminine angles of the body and the slightly softer planes of its facial structure. “You’re just a child.”

“More…” she pleaded shaking with a mix of anticipation and fear.

Shrugging out of his cloak, he wrapped the tiny child in it and carried her out, much to her protest and desire to not be seen outside. She struggled, one manipulator breaking free to strike against his chest. However, the diamond-hard body crystalline beings had held fast against most attacks.

“Easy, little one. You wanted more food, I’m bringing you to it. Then I will treat your injuries.”

She stopped, all six eyes fixing him with a stare that said she’d believe it when she saw it.

“That one arrived the other day,” another insectoid called over. “They said she stole from them, so they beat her then left her to die. Stubborn thing.”

His oath pressed on his conscious, his eyes darkening as he set the tiny girl into an empty crate. Turning to the crowd, Talis asked, “Does anyone know her name?”

“Solara,” a hoarse voice whispered just loud enough for him to hear. “I am Solara Cobalt. I didn’t steal. I was hungry, and the food was just sitting there. It was a bite. That’s all.”

Talis and Valiant both turned to the child in the crate. Handing over a container of water, they watched her slowly sip the liquid before her mandibles opened to eat another food ration, this one a strawberry-flavoured one that she seemed to enjoy. Minutes later, as the food settled, she closed her eyes and fell into a restful sleep.

“So, my captain wants you to join our crew after all. We require a medical professional, and that happens to be you,” Valiant stated, stacking the empty crates back in the cargo hold. “I don’t suppose I can talk you into leaving that thing here?”

The crystalline males body flashed through the colours of anger and defiance. “I will not leave her. I told her I would treat her. I cannot do that from wherever you are taking me.”

Tapping the communicator in his hand, Valiant waited for the hologram of his captain to appear. “Yeah, this is, uh, a weird question.”

“Get to the point, Val.”

“The doctor wants to take a Weaver he found because he, and I’m quoting him, promised to care for her.”

The black-haired Concloian stopped, his silence one of contemplation. “If that’s what it takes to get him here, then do it. It’s on him if the Weaver starts eating the crew.”

“Understood,” Valiant replied before disconnecting the call. “Strap in. We’re leaving before Yuria three sends a scout to make sure these people aren’t getting outside help.”

Glancing at the crate where Solara was sleeping soundly, Talis straightened his spine. “Then I suppose we should perform a disappearing act while we have time.”

Following the Concloian onto the ship, he watched the cargo door seal shut with a hiss before strapping the crate to a wall-mounted shelf. Once she was secure, he sat in the co-pilot’s seat and buckled the safety straps.