Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

T iara yawned as she stretched her arms and legs. Every muscle in her body was tight as she rolled her neck, feeling a rough surface beneath her. Turning on her side, she eyed the torn mattress. “Yuck!” Wrinkling her nose, she noticed that the floor it was placed upon was carpeted but needed a good vacuuming. Sitting up, she grabbed the side of the mattress as the room seemed to shift before her eyes.

“Whoa, move slowly,” said Lori as she hurried across the room, putting her hand on Tiara’s back as she got her bearings.

“I feel...dizzy,” she said, blinking the confusion from her mind as she looked around.

“You’re still recovering from the flight, and the air here differs slightly from what we’re used to. Cleaner,” Lori whispered as she wiped a cool cloth across Tiara’s forehead.

“That feels really good.” But as she finally got her wits about her, she stood quickly. She swayed, but Lori caught her in her arms and helped her back to a sitting position on the mattress.

“I’m...I’m fine.” Tiara’s eyes darted around the room. “Is everyone okay?” she exclaimed. Alarm set in as she gently pushed Lori to the side. Rising again, she looked around the room. This time, she had her feet under her but held onto the wall for support.

“Everyone’s starting to wake now. Maya is helping a few of the girls who’re already up.”

Tiara nodded, taking in the situation. Lori, who was trained as a doctor, promised to come back to check on her after she helped more girls who were starting to wake up.

After a few minutes, Tiara slowly moved around the room, helping Lori and Maya with the others. They had minor scrapes and bruises, but it was their hearts that were broken. Most were crying and panicking. The room quickly became one of chaos as more girls woke.

“Where’s Ms. Hazel?” the youngest girl cried out as Tiara rushed to her side. Her throat nearly closed as she tried to stifle her sobs. She rocked back and forth with the girl in her arms.

The room filled with crying as they realized everyone at the science outpost was gone. And that they could never return there.

“Where are we?” some asked.

“We’re on Crelentia. I think this is where our ancestors were from,” said Tiara.

Question after question flew around the room. “What are we going to do? Are we safe? What will we do for clothes?” Soon, no one could keep track of the many questions or get them answered before more were posed. Tiara swallowed back her fear and pain as she moved to the front of the room. She knew they were looking to her for guidance.

“Look, everyone, I wish I had answers. But I don’t.” She let the truth sink in before continuing, “Right now, we must be patient.”

The girls nodded as Maya and Lori came to her side. “We’ll get answers for you.” One by one, the girls stood.

“We lost our family and our home! But we didn’t lose our identity. We’ve survived the deaths of our moms. But we made it through. We’ll make it through this too.”

Tiara was honest in showing her fear and concern. And her pain. She remembered when they got word that their moms had died on a horrific mission to return to Earth, but their ship exploded trying to enter Earth’s acidic atmosphere. It hurt, but they had a home and Ms. Hazel to care for them.

This time, they lost their homes, and no one was there to care for them. They were on their own.

She huddled with Maya and Lori near the door to the room. “We need to figure out exactly where we are. And if we’re safe from those monsters that attacked our outpost,” said Tiara.

“And let’s not forget we’re with Jaxxon and Zade. Crelentian males who our ancestors ran from!” Maya whispered.

“Come on, Maya! I don’t think we’re in any danger from Jaxxon and Zade. But...we do need to be cautious. At least until we know why our colony was attacked and by who.”

Maya made a face. “I guess you’re in charge...again!” Tiara was about to argue with her, but Maya raised her hands and smiled. “Look, I’m just stating the obvious. We don’t know shit about these shadow raiders from another fucking planet!”

“Well, when you say it like that—” Tiara giggled. Humor was the only thing keeping the fear and sadness at bay. They hugged, agreeing always to watch each other’s backs. “It’s what Ms. Hazel would have wanted.”

“Have you seen anyone since you woke?” they asked Lori, who was the first to wake up.

“Some of Jaxxon’s men came by earlier with more blankets, towels, and water. They also left some sandwiches. I put them over there.”

The girls sat on their mattresses, eating the food. It was bland, but Tiara was grateful to have it as she finished it quickly. She didn’t realize how hungry she’d been.

They were in a large conference center with mattresses strewn around the room. One for each girl. They found a men’s locker room down the hall but saw no sign of a women’s room anywhere. The men’s room will have to do.

Tiara washed up, her arms itching worse than ever. Many of the girls were having the same problem. Hmm! All this time, I thought it was because of allergies on the mining planet. I guess not.

They took inventory of everything they had with them. Thankfully, since they’d been traveling from work to their home, they all had backpacks filled with a change of clothes, makeup, books, and supplies they used while at work. But one change of clothes wouldn’t cut it. They needed to replace everything they had owned. Every shoe, every bra, every hairbrush. The weight of that fact nearly reduced Tiara to tears.

Leaving the conference room, Tiara and Maya walked down the hallway past the locker room and into another large room. It was ample space with sofas, chairs, and game tables. It was a well-maintained entertainment area. Then, they passed a large gym with several levels. Impressive.

They finally reached a set of double doors at the end of the long hall. They tried to open it, but it was locked. She saw a keypad to the left. A man stood on the other side, a look of awe on his face mixed with something else—perhaps confusion.

“Hi, how can I help you?” he said through an intercom system. His voice was pleasant but very authoritative, reminding Tiara of someone in the military.

Maya rattled the door and gave the man a pointed look. When he didn’t move from his position, Tiara did the same, putting her hands on her hips.

“Can you open the door?” Tiara furrowed her brow, her voice elevated. “We want to know where we are.”

“You’re on Crelentia in the Villagio fortress. Do you need more food? More supplies?”

“Yes, we need all those things! But can you open the door so we can look around?”

“I’ll go get Zade. By Warlord Jaxxon Hammer’s orders, I can’t open the door.”

“What the fuck?” Tiara hit her palm against the glass door. “You open this door right now!” she shouted .

The man’s voice remained pleasant as he told them to hold tight while he went to get Zade. He ran off without opening the door. Another guard took his place, refusing to open it. And when she and Maya continued glaring at him, he politely told them it would be an hour or more before Zade would be available.

Tiara and Maya marched back to the conference room. Not wanting to alarm the other girls, they agreed to keep this new development to themselves.

All eyes were on them when they returned. “We spoke to a nice gentleman who will get more information for us. Right now, let’s try to clean this place up.”

Tiara simmered. I guess this place doesn’t come with a cleaning service!

G iving the girls something to do kept everyone’s mind off the tragic events that had unfolded. They found a closet with cleaning supplies and began vacuuming the carpet and dusting. They arranged the mattresses into a semi-circle at one end of the room.

“This place is a real dump. I should have known these guys didn’t have a pot to piss in when I saw Jaxx peeing in the street!” Tiara rolled her eyes. Maya and Lori giggled.

“Maybe our ancestors left because this place is such a mess!” She threw her hands up, her friends agreeing. “But seriously, I have my mom’s journals in my pack. I started reading them before this all happened. Maybe there’s something in there about our ancestors and why they left,” said Tiara, scratching her arms. The dusty room wasn’t helping.

“But they do have sophisticated technology. Their spaceship was incredible. And fast,” said Tiara, her eyes wide.

“Wait...” said Maya as she stood on a chair. She stretched her arms like a bird and then jumped off the chair. “We just rode on a goddamn spaceship!”

“Right? I still can’t process it. We traveled across the stars!” Lori grabbed Tiara’s and Maya’s arms as they jumped up and down in astonishment.

All their lives, they desired to follow in their mothers’ footsteps. They wanted to travel the universe in a spaceship. They’d even continued their mothers’ space sorority. Tiara had been studying spaceship engines and technology for as long as she could remember, and so had Maya.

“I have to get another look at the ship. I want to see the engine room...and the control pads. I want to ride in that baby again!” Tiara giggled.

“With your photographic memory, you could probably replicate any technology you see here,” said Maya, nodding vigorously. “You’re a wizard when it comes to gadgetry. Now if only you could replicate us new clothes and jewelry!” She burst into laughter, giving Tiara a high five.

They laughed, talking about everything Tiara had created for the science outpost. But just the mention of the outpost had everyone sad again. So many memories flooded Tiara’s mind that she had to turn around and walk off, feigning she had to go to the bathroom.

The walk to the bathroom and back was enough for her to get herself together.

When she returned, Lori and Maya said they remembered little from the voyage and had no idea how many days it had taken to travel to Crelentia.

“I passed out as soon as the ship left the ground,” said Lori. “And the few times I awoke, I was so sick that I could barely keep my food down. I barely remember anything.”

“Same here,” said Maya.

“Did...did you see anything strange while on the ship?” Tiara asked. “When I looked out the window, I thought I saw something—” The girls shook their heads as Zade entered the room, interrupting their conversation.

“Hi, everyone. For those who haven’t met me, I’m Zade.” He had a bright smile and wore loose-fitting jeans and a white collared shirt. He shook everyone’s hand, even those he had already met on Mineva.

“I’m sorry we don’t have better accommodations for you yet. We weren’t exactly expecting to bring a group of women and teenagers home with us.” Three men accompanied him. Their arms were full of supplies and food.

The girls helped them put things away while Tiara spoke with Zade. She peppered him with questions. But he easily dodged them by saying he needed to check with Jaxxon.

As she continued with a barrage of questions, he raised his hands. “Look, the best I can offer is more food, better housing once Jaxx arranges it, and medical attention if anyone needs it.” His tone left no room for further argument.

But using that tone with Tiara only set her off as she fumed. “We don’t need any medical attention. Lori has that covered.”

She looked up at Zade, putting her hands on her hips. “I demand to speak to Jaxx at once!” She tapped her foot as she stared him down.

Finally, Zade tapped his coms and got Jaxxon on the line. Tiara gasped, stepping back from Jaxxon’s hologram projection, which was so realistic it was as if he were standing in the room.

“Wow, that’s some amazing tech!”

“Are you and the girls settling in okay? I’ve had my men bring everything we could think of on such short notice,” said Jaxxon.

“Um, yes. But...we can’t possibly stay in this filthy room. We need beds, not mattresses thrown around the floor. And we need access to a women’s bathroom. We found the men’s locker room and showers but need our own.” Tiara rattled off a list of things they needed. She almost walked through Jaxxon’s projection as she flailed her arms around.

“You can use the men’s locker room. We don’t have a women’s locker room here. I assure you that the men have already been told to stay out of your way.”

“We didn’t come here to live in an old conference room, eating sandwiches and showering in a men’s bathroom!”

Jaxxon took a deep breath. “We’re working on it. My men are bringing proper bedding to you as we speak. And a dinner is being prepared.”

“To this room? Do you expect us to stay in a conference room?” She pointed to the room.

“If you thought I was taking you to the Land of Plenty, you got on the wrong ship!”

She rolled her eyes at him, placing her hands on her hips. His jaw ticked as he put on a polite smile.

“Well, we need soap, lotion, and clothes.” She glared as Jaxxon took another deep breath.

“There’s soap, lotion, and shampoo in the locker room. And?—”

“If you’re talking about that giant bar of...I don’t even know what to call it! That’s not soap. We need something sweet smelling?—”

“Look, Tiara. I’m trying my best. Right now, your safety and ours are my priority.”

“Oh, and...” She looked around, then back at Jaxxon. “Are there any, uh, dragons or big flying lizards that might eat us? Because I could have sworn I saw two dragons when we were flying!” She was sure she turned two shades of red, embarrassed at the question’s absurdity.

Jaxxon and Zade looked at each other with concern before Jaxxon said, “There are no flying lizards.” The bastard had the nerve to smirk, which really aggravated her.

“One more thing. The doors are locked. We want to walk around.”

“Well, we’re on high alert. We don’t know if the Vralgari followed us or know that we were behind getting you to safety. So, for now, we need everyone to stay in...”

“Are we guests or fucking prisoners?” she cut in, glaring at him.

“With that potty mouth, you figure it out!” Jaxxon disappeared, and Zade closed his coms .

“Did he just hang up on me? That bastard!”

Zade began exiting with the men. “Wait!” Tiara shouted, grabbing his arm. His tattoos rippled a shade darker as he looked at her hand on his arm.

He cleared his throat. “Look, Jaxx is doing his best to keep you safe. Go easy on him. He has a lot of responsibilities...more than you can imagine.”

“Go easy on him ? I just lost my home!”

“And now you’re a guest in his !” Zade left.

Well, that didn’t go well. She stormed back toward her friends.

She stewed for half an hour, cleaning the furniture like a woman gone mad. And mad she was. How dare Jaxx be so rude and heartless!

“Everyone, you have to see this!” Lori screamed as she pulled the curtains back to let light into the room.

One side of the conference room had floor-to-ceiling windows that led out onto a large terrace. Although the door was locked, what they saw was mesmerizing.

They were in a beautiful mountain range. The entire area was bathed in a majestic mist that seemed to sparkle. They’d seen nothing like it. Trees dotted various ledges along the mountains. Some had fruits and other vegetation. Valleys and streams ran as far as they could see.

The terrace resembled a landing area. Looking out the window, they saw many terraces abutting the mountains. They also saw a faraway city and port. And beyond that was beautiful blue water.

The scene settled the women as they finished cleaning the space. It looked much better in the light. Later that evening, Zade returned with a few other men. They brought them a modest dinner of meat and some vegetables they’d never seen before. But they were hearty and would have been quite good if they had more seasoning.

As Zade began leaving, Tiara intercepted him. This time, she kept her hands to herself. “Um, I’m sorry for my behavior earlier...” But he interrupted her, telling her he knew she was going through a lot.

“Do you think we can go onto the terrace?” asked Lori, walking up so quietly they didn’t realize she was standing there. It was almost a whisper as she looked at Zade. “We want to say a proper goodbye to our loved ones.”

Zade’s eyes softened. “Sure, let me clear it with Jaxx, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”

A few minutes later, he inputted a code in a keypad Tiara hadn’t noticed. She watched him enter the code, memorizing it. Maya winked. She’d memorized it too.

Going into the early evening air was a treat. The iridescent gray clouds shimmered.

“We’re in the Villagio Mystic Mountains in southern Crelentia.” Zade pointed. “There’s an old city beyond that peak. And over there is Port of Genihe.”

They hung on to his every word as he pointed out landmarks. “And that’s the Sea of Cadence.”

“This place feels magical!” Tiara’s eyes glistened with tears.

“Crelentia is beautiful. If you let us show you.”

The women nodded. They thanked Zade again as he left.

They placed candles they found around the terrace. One by one, they told a story of a fond memory of one of their lost ones. For the brave men who guarded the fence, who treated them like their nieces and granddaughters. Who made sure they made it through the gate safely every night and ventured into the clubs to get them whenever they were in trouble, outnumbered, or outgunned in the dangerous streets of a mining colony who felt they didn’t belong.

They cried for the women who untangled their hair when they were young adolescents without moms to care for them and dried their tears when their first crush didn’t find them attractive enough to say, ‘Hello.’

So many people at the science outpost had touched their lives in ways they hadn’t considered until realizing they’d never see them again.

They gathered red mining sand from the bottoms of their backpacks, which were always filled with it, no matter how hard they had tried to keep it out. Each holding a fistful of sand, they tossed it to the wind in memory of Ms. Hazel. She had treated each of them as if they were her daughter. She told them to fight for what’s right and to sacrifice for each other. And she taught them the meaning of love and sisterhood.

They sang, cried, and finished their funeral service with a prayer. As the service ended, the last of the daylight faded. And then they stood mesmerized by the beauty that unfolded before their eyes.

The twin ice moons of Crelentia rose from behind the tallest mountain.

Standing hand in hand, they looked into the sky as their elemental magic hummed.

“I think we were always meant to come here. We’re home.”