Song of the Solitaire

[Von Acturus]

I can't imagine the Sutharian government is happy with it's colonies using deserters as a mercenary defence force. Says a lot about the military capabilities of the Empire.

Trig stumbles from one pile of problems to another with innocent relish. I can imagine his mother won't be very happy that he's now involved with mercenaries.

 

[Macavity116]

I can't imagine the Sutharian government is happy with it's colonies using deserters as a mercenary [defense] force. Says a lot about the military capabilities of the Empire.

Or lack thereof.

Trig stumbles from one pile of problems to another with innocent relish. I can imagine his mother won't be very happy that he's now involved with mercenaries.

Pentwa, his guardian, is probably on the brink of pulling her hair out from stress.

Caera, his biological mother, would have a lot to say on the subject. It might be for the best that she's currently in prison.

 

[Macavity116]

Okay, we have finally reached the inciting incident for the story's main conflict! But... this story is slightly different from my previous works. Let's call it a quest instead of a conflict. You'll see what I mean as the tale goes on.

Thank you for reading thus far, I hope you continue to read and enjoy this new Stellaris story!

<=== Previous (Chapter 4: Major Disaster)

Next (Chapter 6: The Point of No Return) ===>​

Chapter 5
Legacy of Evil​

The more Trig explained, the more Ponnico wanted to know. The old mercenary constantly interrupted, demanding Trig go into finer details or provide extra context. Pentwa chimed in with extra context wherever she could, but no amount of discussion was enough to satisfy Ponnico. He needed to know more.

After a heated back and forth, Ponnico paused the interrogation. He asked Trig and Pentwa to sit down with him at the public park. It was across the street from Eadleton Secondary School. The trio selected a bench facing away from the emergency workers, toward a public fountain. The old fighter insisted Trig and Pentwa take a seat while he remained standing, stroking his beard and pacing thoughtfully while the Shepminters talked him through the day’s events.

When Ponnico heard Trig say “I’ve felt weird things like this before” he raised a hand and stopped the youngster.

“What do you mean?” Ponnico asked. “What happened before? The sense of doom? The premonition?”

“Premonition?” Trig repeated. “Is that what it’s called?”

“Yes, the premonitions.” Ponnico answered. “They’ve happened before?”

“The Highway Incident.” Pentwa muttered.

“Yeah, the Highway Incident.” Trig agreed.

Ponnico raised an eyebrow and he made a gesture, asking the two of them to elaborate. Pentwa sighed.

“Two years ago, I wanted to visit my husband’s grave on the far side of the colony.” Pentwa said. “I got in my car and asked Trig if he wanted to join me.”

Trig put his head in his hands. He could feel his body starting to shake from a mixture of embarrassment and fear.

“I freaked out.” Trig confessed. “I had… I don’t know what happened. I just freaked. Begged Pentwa not to go. Kicked and screamed, told her something awful would happen if she made the drive.”

“Did something awful happen?” Ponnico asked. Trig nodded.

“An irrigation machine broke free from its rail.” Trig said. “Rolled across Highway Five and crushed the front of her car.”

“The colony surgeon said I was a centimeter away from death.” Pentwa confessed. “I like to tell people I survived because I hesitated a moment, just to look at Trig one more time as I drove away.”

Ponnico narrowed his eyes, looking at Trig intensely.

“There’s something about you… Trig Shepminter.” Ponnico spoke in a thoughtful rumble. “What are you not telling me? Have you encountered anyone unusual lately? Someone besides myself asking around or saying things that don’t make sense?”

Trig perked up.

“Oh! I met this girl who said someone was trying to kidnap her, and she said something about Lightwater Moon.”

“Hmm… Lightwater. That’s the MSI refugee world.” Ponnico mused. “How’d she get here then? If she really is from Lightwater, then she’s an Undesirable. There’s no way she could get into the Sutharian Empire… not legally anyway.”

Ponnico stroked his beard in deep thought. Then he asked:

“Were you born on Eadleton?”

“No.” Trig and Pentwa said together.

“Where, then?” Ponnico said. He was suddenly much more interested. “The headmaster said this woman is your guardian. Where are your parents?”

Trig shook his head.

“I don’t know where I was born.” Trig admitted. “My mom might know, she’s… uh… she’s an inmate on the Prison Ship Grand Historia.” Trig explained. “You can’t miss it, it’s that gigantic starship docked to Suth-Kasa Starbase near the Homeworld. My dad? Never met my dad.”

“And you don’t know who he was?” Ponnico sounded hopeful when he spoke, but his smile faded as Trig shook his head.

“We don’t know...” Trig started to say, but Pentwa interrupted.

“Trig… that’s not entirely accurate.”

Trig and Ponnico looked at Pentwa. She had gone as white as a sheet; her face full of powerful emotions Trig could not read.

…

Pentwa led Trig and Ponnico to her house in the countryside, about three kilometers away from the school. Pentwa moved with such purpose that her cane dug holes in the dirt road. She knocked the door open and held it while the other two entered.

Tenna was sitting at the dining table, sipping from a mug of hot tea. At some point during the day, she had changed out of her “boy” disguise and was wearing a simple white dress. She startled when three people came through the front door, but calmed down when she spotted Pentwa and Trig.

Pentwa guided Trig and Ponnico to her bookshelf. Ponnico stared at Tenna for a moment, who blushed and turned in her seat to face away from the others.

“Trig, when the law took your mother away, she left me a box and a piece of paper with very specific instructions written on it.” Pentwa explained.

“Instructions?” Trig repeated.

“Your mother, Caera… she knows exactly who your father is.” Pentwa said. “Her instructions said that I was to share the secret with you if a set of highly specific criteria were met.”

Trig took a step back and bumped against one of the end tables. Ponnico stroked his beard and widened his eyes.

“Wait… so the school…” Trig breathed. “Did my mom know about me dreading bad stuff?”

Pentwa took a very deep breath, and then shook her head.

“No… She never guessed you were going to have premonitions, but you weren’t too far off the mark and I say you got close enough.”

Pentwa used her cane to point at a bookshelf on the far side of the living room. The two Berken looked up and spotted a brown box wedged between a pair of artistic crystals. Ponnico was closest and he reached up to grab it.

The box contained a handwritten note and a small jewelry case. Ponnico passed both of them to Pentwa. She showed the note to Trig.

“Your mother wrote this.” Pentwa explained. “She told me if you suddenly developed the ability to read minds, I was supposed to tell you who your father was.”

“Read minds!?” Trig and Ponnico repeated.

“Premonitions are not the same as mind reading, but it’s enough for me to call it.” Pentwa said. “You’ve had dozens of them before. Like I said, good enough.”

“Had you been born on the Homeworld, you would have been exiled as a telepath, boy.” Ponnico commented. “Then you and Tenna would have been able to live together.”

Tenna’s face turned red and she squirmed awkwardly.

Pentwa raised the sheet of paper and began to read aloud:

“Trig, I need to beg for your forgiveness. Since the day you were born, I have kept a painful secret from you. I was planning to hide this knowledge from you for as long as you lived. However, I knew there was a slim chance that you may develop telepathic ability.

If that happens, I know it will be a sign that you are starting to take after your father. It means I will have to tell you the truth about him:

You are the son of Malum Ralpakin, the Great Khan. You were born aboard his flagship while it was at the Necropolis. I took you away during the Battle of Lightwater, just before your father was slain.

Inside this box, you will find a pendant. Wear it at all times. Do not allow anyone to take it from you. It will protect you.

No matter what happens next, no matter what you decide to do or what you become after this moment, I will love my son.

Best fortunes to you, Trig Shepminter”

Trig opened the small case while Pentwa finished. Inside, he found a blue crystal with a slim core of dark green in its center. Aside from the metal catch used to attach the crystal to the necklace, the pendant itself was strangely shaped. It looked like the shard of a much larger rock, broken off the whole by considerable force. An ornate symbol was carved into the crystal. Trig looked at Pentwa, who nodded. Trig donned the necklace, pausing to admire the blue crystal.

From the dining table, Tenna yelled:

“Oh. My. Gosh! No way!”

Tenna sprang out of her chair and moved swiftly toward Trig, her long red hair flowing behind her like a cape. Tenna was the shortest person in the room, so when she plunged her hand into the neckline of her dress, everyone moved to avert their eyes. A twinkle of light caused Trig to look at her again.

Tenna was wearing a necklace similar to the one Trig received. Hanging from the cord was a crystal pendant. Just like Trig’s, the jewel was fractured as though broken off a larger piece. The two teens gazed at one another, shocked.

Without saying a word, Trig and Tenna held out their pendants. The two broken shards interlocked together, forming a larger gemstone that, while hauntingly beautiful, was noticeably incomplete. At least three more shards were missing, possibly four.

Tenna looked at Trig, her eyes locking onto his. Trig could see that she was completely awestruck, her cheeks reddening, her mouth falling open, her eyes wide and shimmering like stars in the night sky.

Trig felt a lurch in his stomach that had nothing to do with nerves. Ponnico let out a shaking gasp and held onto the armrest. He looked terrified.

“I don’t believe it.” He breathed. “I can’t believe it.”

<=== Previous (Chapter 4: Major Disaster)

Next (Chapter 6: The Point of No Return) ===>​

 

[Von Acturus]

Ponnico and Pentwa just opened the can of worms.

And Trig is very much eager to discuss not only his psionic powers but also him and his mother aiding and abetting a fugitive of someone in their home with a near complete stranger. If this wasn't Ponnico but an agent of the empire or MSI he could've gotten into a whole lot of trouble.

 

[Macavity116]

If this wasn't Ponnico but an agent of the empire or MSI he could've gotten into a whole lot of trouble.

Ponnico said it best. If this series of events played out on the Sutharian Homeworld, Trig would have almost certainly been deported to Lightwater. Psionic people are not tolerated over there.

 

[HistoryDude]

I will admit... I only saw that coming within the chapter. Trig is the Great Khan's son? This will be fun... for the readers.

What's up with Tenna and Trig's pendants locking together? Are they siblings or something? If so, things could be... awkward.

 

[Macavity116]

Trig is the Great Khan's son?

Yup. Figuring out the story of how a Nagyari warlord has a child of a completely different species will be a major development in the plot, once we get there.

What's up with Tenna and Trig's pendants locking together?

This question will be the driving force for the first half of the quest. Once answered, Trig and Tenna will both have painful decisions to make.

Are they siblings or something? If so, things could be... awkward.

And this right here is why I went to the trouble of writing extra narration and worldbuilding posts for those two. I specifically went out of my way to make sure all of the readers knew Trig and Tenna belonged to different ethnic groups, as that knowledge should rule out the possibility of them being siblings.

But... I do love Star Wars... and after all these years, I have never gotten around to making one of my characters wear a metal bikini. Tenna and Selborne are the only major female characters in Song of the Solitaire... and Tenna is just 13 years old, so she gets a pass.

Selborne's luck just ran out.

 

[Macavity116]

<=== Previous (Chapter 5: Legacy of Evil)

Next (Chapter 7: Time to Run) ===>​

Chapter 6
The Point of No Return​

This was starting to become the longest day of Trig’s life. Ever since Tenna first appeared in the Overlook Temple just ten hours ago, one revelation after another seemed to have tumbled into his lap, and as Tenna marveled over the pair of linked crystals, he said as much.

“This is a lot, yes.” Ponnico agreed. “Young man, you are taking your first step into a much wider world.”

Tenna grabbed Trig by the shoulders and stared at him as though she had never properly seen a boy before.

“You’re Ralpakin’s son!? Really?” She said. “Oh, my god! I have so many questions!”

Pentwa looked nervous.

“First thing’s first, I need a better explanation.” She said. “You seem to know a lot more than you’re letting on, Ponnico.”

“I do.” Ponnico replied. “Good lady, there seems to be a connection between these two children.”

Tenna let out an excited squeal, released Trig, and hopped on her toes.

“Do you think so!?” She spoke very fast. “I did say, when we ran into each other, I said: ‘are you one of the guys trying to kidnap me?’ And you said no, but-”

Ponnico raised his hand to stop her talking.

“So… this boy has a premonition about a student getting caught up in an explosion. The girl is being hounded by… well… someone. And both of you are holding Keystone Shards. None of this bodes well.”

“Keystone Shards?” Trig and Tenna repeated.

Ponnico did not answer. He clapped his hands together.

“That settles it. I need to investigate this further.” He said. “Children, you must come with me to-”

Before he could finish, Pentwa grabbed both children by the backs of their outfits and pulled them towards herself.

“Now hold on!” She said. “Trig is under my care until Caera comes home for him, and once I talk to the Eadleton Police, this girl will be going somewhere she’ll be safe. I’m not going to let a mercenary take a pair of kids to who-knows-what.”

Ponnico deflated. He stroked his beard and thought for a few moments, and then said:

“Well, ma’am, I understand your reason.” He said. “You must do what’s best for the children, but I do think there is something greater going on here. I’ll tell you what: My team is leaving soon. The Colonial government recently ran out of money to pay us, we are already packing our bags. If you want to speak to me again, find me docking bay KR-35 at the spaceport.”

Ponnico left. Pentwa put her head in her hands.

“What the hell is happening?” She breathed.

Tenna turned to Trig.

“So you’re like, the Great Khan’s son?” She said. “Does that mean you’re a Psion like him? It would be so cool if you are!”

“I wish I was.” Trig replied. “Knowing when bad stuff is gonna happen is a really lame superpower.”

Tenna shook her head. It was a sight Trig found funny because her long red hair whipped around and some of it got caught in her mouth.

“No, no!” She said. “You could tell if there were bad guys or kidnappers around.”

That got Pentwa’s attention.

“Ariha forgive me! After all that’s happened I completely forgot about that. I need to call the police and the two of you will not leave this house until I say otherwise, understand!?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Trig responded at once.

Tenna looked at him, then at Pentwa. She let out a little gasp and said:

“Oh, right! Uh… yes, ma’am. I understand.”

Pentwa stepped into the kitchen and dialed the police hotline on her cell phone. While she talked to the dispatcher, Tenna and Trig turned to each other.

“This is so exciting!” Tenna said. “Why do our crystals do that thing? Match up?”

“Maybe there used to be a bigger crystal, and it got broken.” Trig suggested. “Ponnico knows what it is. He looked like he saw a ghost when we put them together.”

“And you really didn’t know you were Ralpakin’s kid?” Tenna asked.

Trig shrugged his left shoulder.

“Honestly, I don’t know much about the Great Khan. History is like, my least favorite subject in school.” He confessed.

Tenna bounced on her heels again.

“Oh, I know lots about the Khan, and his Horde, and the things they did!” She said. “But I’ve never actually met someone from the Horde before!”

Tenna walked around Trig, looking over his whole body. He felt very awkward.

“You don’t look like a Nagyari, though.” She said. “You’re the same thing as me, but a boy.”

Rubbing the back of his head, Trig said:

“Hold on, Valdemar. We’re not the same.”

“Okay, so you’re brown and I’m white. Big diff.” Tenna sighed. “And it’s not like I’ve never seen or heard Berken before.”

Trig started to come back with a retort, but then he paused. He had just noticed something that… frankly, he should have noticed much earlier.

“Hey… Tenna…” He said slowly. “You’re speaking Olinbar.”

Tenna paused and raised an eyebrow.

“So what?”

“So… you’re Valdemar.” Trig replied. “I thought you people were, like, really proud of your language. You always use it when you can. All the Valdemar kids at school speak Valdem. The rest of us have to learn Valdem. Pentwa’s speaking it right now.”

The two children strained their ears. Pentwa was still talking to the police on her phone, and sure enough, she was communing in the Valdem language. Trig looked back at Tenna. For the first time, she was looking put out. She gazed down at the floor and made a kicking motion with her foot.

“I… uh… yeah.” Tenna said. “Back on Lightwater, the Megachurch pastor, a guy named Ellex, he said I never talked or acted like a Valdemar. I thought I was just different on Lightwater… you’re saying I’m different from the Valdemar here, too?”

Tenna’s feelings were hurt, and Trig had no idea how to respond.

“Well, you don’t call me ‘Berkie,’ and you don’t drone on about finding your Athira, but I honestly thought those were good things.”

Tenna looked up.

“Wait, what’s an Athira?” She asked. “I hear people talking about them all the time, but I’m not sure what it means.”

Trig was caught off-guard. How could a Valdemar person not know about one of the most important Valdemar customs?

“Uh… Athira? You know… your mate, your partner, the person you pick to be with for the rest of your life?”

Tenna giggled, then covered her mouth with her hands.

“Wait… waitwaitwaitwait!” She laughed. “You’re saying my people mate for life? Seriously? So I can only have, like, one boyfriend or whatever?”

“Pretty much.” Trig replied. “Sounds stupid, the way I say it, but yeah.”

Then both teens burst out laughing. They sat down on the couch together.

“Tell you what.” Trig said. “I’ll make you a deal. Teach me about the Great Khan, who I guess is my father now… and I’ll teach you how to be Valdemar. Seriously. Pentwa and her whole family are Valdemar, and I’ve lived with her for years. I can show you the ropes.”

Trig was not being truly genuine in this moment. Like nearly all teenage boys, he was being blinded by a set of emotions he did not fully understand. He was greedily trying to monopolize his time with Tenna. He simply knew that he wanted to spend more time with her. A tiny voice in the back of his mind tried to remind him of something, but other voices drowned it out.

Both Trig and Tenna were snapped out of their conversation by Pentwa’s re-appearance.

“Okay.” Pentwa said, holding her phone in one hand. “The police are busy dealing with the explosion at the school. They’re going to send someone over here first thing tomorrow morning. We are going to get some food and rest now.”

While Trig and Tenna ate a hastily prepared meal of farm-fresh vegetables, Pentwa set to work making the living room couch into a sleeping area. Pentwa would spend the night here while Tenna slept in Pentwa’s bed.

“My bedroom locks from the inside.” Pentwa explained. “Those kidnappers you mentioned won’t get in, but from what you’ve said, I think they’re still on Lightwater.”

Once he retreated into his own bedroom, Trig opened his closet door and kissed his statue of the Love Goddess Rey. Then he picked up his tablet computer and opened a website belonging to the Cult of Rey. With just a few button presses, Trig wirelessly transferred half of his monthly allowance to the Cult. As soon as his money was spent, the web site prompted Trig to speak into the microphone at the top of his tablet. A message appeared on the screen:

“What do you request of the Goddess?”

“The girl you sent me, I like her, like, a lot.” Trig said, his voice dripping with greed. “She’s obviously here with me for a reason. Tell me, show me what to do!”

His mind racing with new Tenna-centric fantasies, Trig was able to sleep without thinking of the day’s events.

<=== Previous (Chapter 5: Legacy of Evil)

Next (Chapter 7: Time to Run) ===>​

 

[HistoryDude]

Whoops! I probably should've double-checked those character profiles.

Trig! Don't make such impulsive promises!

Also, I'm worried about the Cult of Rey. I have a strange feeling that speaking those words will come back to bite Trig...

 

[Von Acturus]

Ponnico is a very polite mercenary.

The whole family seems to be drastically underestimating the threat the kidnappers pose.

And one day, Trig's impulsive urge to talk about everything that happens to him to anyone with absolutely no filters (which is only fair, since he's 13, in a situation no 13 year old boy is prepared to understand) will catch up to him.

 

[Nikolai]

Also, I'm worried about the Cult of Rey. I have a strange feeling that speaking those words will come back to bite Trig...

I thought the same…

 

[Macavity116]

Trig! Don't make such impulsive promises!

And one day, Trig's impulsive urge to talk about everything that happens to him to anyone with absolutely no filters (which is only fair, since he's 13, in a situation no 13 year old boy is prepared to understand) will catch up to him.

I'm slowly getting back into the habit of writing children as protagonists. (Cassandra Espinosa made her debut almost 2 years ago now) The whole "act on every impulse" thing is definitely going to cause issues down the road.

Also, I'm worried about the Cult of Rey. I have a strange feeling that speaking those words will come back to bite Trig...

I thought the same…

As a general rule, giving your money to an online religious group should already be a red flag. Sending them a voice recording of yourself over the web? There's so many ways that could go sideways.

The whole family seems to be drastically underestimating the threat the kidnappers pose.

The kidnappers themselves have not yet revealed their full capabilities. Remember what Pentwa said? They're most likely still on the Lightwater moon, hundreds of lightyears away in a different country. There's no way they can reach Tenna on Eadleton... right? Right?

Oh dear... the next chapter is called "Time to Run."

 

[Macavity116]

Good afternoon dear readers and Happy Day of the Dead!!

I am really excited to bring you this chapter, because I finally get to introduce a story element that I've fallen in love with and desperately want to share with you. Pay attention to the first part of the chapter and do let me know what you think of the new concept.

I really like this concept, I want to expand on the idea and go somewhere interesting with it.

Feedback is always welcome, but today it's strongly encouraged.

<=== Previous (Chapter 6: The Point of No Return)

Next (Chapter 8: Don't Panic) ===>​

Chapter 7
Time to Run​

That night, Trig had the strangest dream.

One of the things that made it so unusual was his own awareness. Trig instantly knew he was in a dream, that he was not really standing on a riverbank. To his right, brown water moved by in a slow, lazy fashion. He could hear the rumble of rapids in the distance.

Before he could take in his full surroundings, Trig started to walk alongside the riverbank, moving against the flow of water. While Trig was fully aware of the fact that he was dreaming, he had no control over what happened in said dream. Slowly, Trig became aware of two points of interest.

First: Something was happening above him. Despite the sun being high in the air, a green ribbon of light was dancing across the sky. The daytime aurora looked very out-of-place, it made him shiver.

Second: There were two people on the far side of the river, a girl and a boy. He watched the girl talk to her companion for a few moments, and then she hugged him. The girl seemed to be very excited. She jumped up and down, holding onto the boy the whole time. Her bushy red hair bobbed up and down with each joyful jump.

Wait…

Trig gasped when he finally realized what he was looking at. The girl on the far side of the river was Tenna! But he still did not know the identity of her companion, a boy with dirty blonde hair and brown skin. Trig narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look at the boy. Tenna looked away from her companion and gazed across the river.

She spotted Trig. At the exact same moment, the boy next to her vanished completely, simply popping out of existence. Tenna did not acknowledge the sudden disappearance. Instead, she waved at Trig and yelled:

“There you are! Why’d you go over there?”

Trig waved back. Before he think about trying to reach her, Tenna shouted across the river again.

“It was great to see you! I’m gonna wake up now, so I’ll see you later!”

Before Trig could react, the dream ended and he woke up.

…

The next morning, Trig woke up late and groggily dressed for a day of farmwork, a battered set of coveralls and steel-toed boots. By the time he was fully dressed, Trig could only remember half of that night’s dream. When he emerged from the bathroom, feeling refreshed, the dream was gone from his mind entirely.

He did not remember Tenna was in the house until he heard her voice coming from the kitchen.

“When are the police coming?” Tenna was asking.

“Not much longer now.” Pentwa replied. “In fact, they’re running a little late.”

Trig stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a handful of green vegetables. Pentwa admonished him at once, reminding Trig to wash his hands first and use tongs “like a civilized person.” Even Tenna was not impressed, commenting on how gross it was to grab food with bare unwashed hands.

“I don’t get sick.” Trig said. “I got nothing to worry about.”

“You think you don’t get sick.” Pentwa reminded him. “Wash up, and stop acting like a letch! Do that with your Athira when you get one.”

She swatted Trig’s face with a washcloth, having noticed that he was not taking his gaze away from Tenna’s outfit, a loose-fitting tee shirt and flower-patterned skirt, no doubt borrowed from Pentwa. Tenna blushed and tried to hide her face with her hands.

Everyone was distracted by a series of loud knocks on the front door.

“That should be the police.” Pentwa remarked. “About time. Trig, get the door and let them in.”

Trig bounded across the house and opened the front door with a flourish. He was expecting to see one of the police officers from yesterday. Instead, he was faced with three Tiess men.

The Tiess are the second-largest Sutharian ethnic group. They are yellow-skinned people who spoke a complex language with ten vowels in its alphabet. The Tiess and Berken languages are structurally similar, to such a point that a Berken like Trig can easily understand what a Tiess is saying.

One of the men leered at Trig.

“Excuse me, Berkie.” He said. “We’re looking for a missing girl. Valdemar, long curly red hair, about your age… answers to the name Tenna.”

Trig’s heart missed a beat. Behind him, he could hear a shuffling sound. Pentwa’s hand clasped around his shoulder.

“Come back inside for a moment.” Pentwa said.

One of the Tiess men tried to put his foot in the door, but Pentwa slammed it shut, causing him to cry out. She lodged her cane in the door latch, jamming it closed. Tenna screamed.

“It’s them! Those are guys who tried to take me on Lightwater!”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Pentwa said. “Trig! Take her and go out the back!”

“But what about you?” Trig asked, “I wanna fight these guys!”

Pentwa gave Trig a smirk.

“If you get hurt, who’s gonna take care of your new friend?” She said.

Tenna’s face lit up.

“You’re gonna be my friend!?” Tenna gasped just loud enough for Trig to hear. “I’ve always wanted a friend!”

The trio of men put their shoulders to the door and started trying to force it open. Pentwa raised her voice.

“Hey, computer!”

A musical chime sounded from the kitchen. A wall-mounted digital display illuminated.

“Call the police!” Pentwa ordered.

“I am sorry.” Replied a male computerized voice. “I cannot connect to the antenna. Please troubleshoot your hardware connections and try again.”

Pentwa swore. She locked the door, then double-checked her cane to make sure it was still jamming the door latch. Then Pentwa turned to face the children. She looked desperate.

“Go! Find that Ponnico man. Now!”

The children ran to the back of Pentwa’s house and into her farm field. Here, a small number of crops grew, just enough to sustain the two occupants.

Thinking quickly, Trig remembered that Tenna was disguised as a boy the last time she fled from her kidnappers. This time around, she was wearing a skirt. Dead giveaway. However, he knew the abductors had seen Tenna while trying to force the door.

Trig ran to the strawman, tore it down, took its brown leather jacket, and tossed it over Tenna’s shoulders. She bundled her out-of-control curly red hair and stuffed it inside the back of her shirt. Any change to her appearance would buy them time. Finally, Tenna donned a pair of Pentwa’s work boots. They were too big, but it was better than fleeing barefoot.

“Let’s go!” Trig said.

“What about Pentwa, is she going to be okay?”

Trig gave Tenna a weak smile.

“Pentwa’s tough as nails. She and her husband were part of that huge protest ten years ago. They killed Ely, but they couldn’t kill her. I really don’t think your kidnappers are ready for Pentwa. She’ll be fine.”

Using Eadleton’s low gravity to their advantage, the children fled the scene at a bounding run, quickly vanishing into the surrounding farmland.

<=== Previous (Chapter 6: The Point of No Return)

Next (Chapter 8: Don't Panic) ===>​

 

[HistoryDude]

Wait, are the people trying to kidnap Tenna associated with the government? Or is the timing a coincidence?

Also, Tenna and Trig have shared dreams? Will Trig learn how to make these dreams more lucid?

 

[Macavity116]

Wait, are the people trying to kidnap Tenna associated with the government? Or is the timing a coincidence?

For the moment, we don't know. However... I should point out that Tenna's kidnappers first appeared on Lightwater, a moon located outside of the Sutharian Empire. If they are associated with a government, then they would be working for Minamar Specialized Industries, not Emperor Canto.

Also, Tenna and Trig have shared dreams? Will Trig learn how to make these dreams more lucid?

Correct... in a way. At the moment, it seems more like Trig has intruded on Tenna's dream.

That is a question I really want to get in-depth with. While doing research for this particular story element, I discovered a 2012 scientific paper that presented evidence to support a fascinating hypothesis: Children can learn lucid dreaming faster than adults, to such a point that some scientists think lucid dreams occur frequently and naturally in children. This is a big part of the reason why I decided Trig and Tenna should be kids in this story.

I really want Trig and Tenna to have a joint storyline involving a "shared lucid dream." I have the start and end points of said story mapped out right now, but I have not figured out how to get our protags from start to finish yet.

 

[Von Acturus]

At least the kidnappers seem to want Tenna alive, that's a (small) advantage to the kids.

And Trig has a tough mom. Were those protests in which her partner was killed in response to the proclamation of the Empire by the President for Life?

I think the lucid dream subplot is interesting. Sort of like their own private world, separated but not completely disconnected from the chaos outside.

 

[Macavity116]

At least the kidnappers seem to want Tenna alive, that's a (small) advantage to the kids.

I would say it's a small comfort. It's safe to bet that these guys have some nefarious intentions for Tenna.

Were those protests in which her partner was killed in response to the proclamation of the Empire by the President for Life?

Yes! The anti-Canto protests and Valdemar race riots kind of overlapped and bled into each other to form one moment of large-scale civil unrest that Trig just calls "the Protests." These historic protests are a generally important background event and will come up again in future chapters.

I think the lucid dream subplot is interesting. Sort of like their own private world, separated but not completely disconnected from the chaos outside.

Thanks! I considered having Inez and Cassandra share their dreams when I was first creating their story back in 2010, but never followed through. I finally got the chance to revisit the idea and went for it.

 

[Macavity116]

<=== Previous (Chapter 7: Time to Run)

Next (Chapter 9: The Resonance Cascade) ===>​

Chapter 8
Don’t Panic​

The children ran into the crop fields. Trig knew where the spaceport was, relative to his house. It was on the far side of Eadleton. Trig could get there without actually entering the city. Instead, skirting around the edge of town was a better option. That way, he and Tenna could stay hidden in the farmfields. Tenna allowed Trig to lead the way, since she did not know the region.

“Who are those guys? Why are they after you?” Trig asked.

“I don’t know.” Tenna replied. “They just showed up at the dormitory yesterday afternoon… or I guess it would be yesterday morning for you, waving around some weird scanner thing. They pointed it at me, and it made a noise like a swarm of bugs. That was then they tried to take me.”

“Tried?” Trig repeated.

Tenna shuddered.

“I ran. Ran a lot. They chased me, so I ran until I ran into you.”

The children reached the top of a hill.

Trig shielded his eyes from the sun and looked around, trying to spot the spaceport. Tenna also observed her surroundings, but she was confused.

“Where are we?” She asked. “This doesn’t look like anyplace on Lightwater.”

“Like we said, you’re on Eadleton.” Trig told her. “You seriously don’t know what moon you’re on?”

“I guess.” Tenna replied. “Pentwa said that’s why I got sick. She said Lightwater’s a bigger moon than Eadleton. It’s got higher gravity, and a denser atmosphere, whatever that means.”

Then Tenna gasped and held her hand to her mouth. She pointed behind her and Trig spotted movement among the tall crops.

“They’ve started looking for us.” Trig groaned.

“What do we do?” Tenna said.

“Ponnico, and the Arfor Team.” Trig replied.

“Arfor?”

“Mercenaries.” Trig told her. “They’ve been protecting our world for the past year but now they’re getting ready to leave. There!”

Trig pointed. He had finally spotted the Eadleton Spaceport.

“That’s where we’ve gotta go.”

A shouting noise caused the children to look around. Down the hill, Solar Vines parted as men advanced through the fields. Pentwa’s shrill voice followed the men up the hill, cursing them with every profanity in the Valdem language. The kidnappers were moving faster than Pentwa, but they were also moving in the wrong direction. Trig wondered if he and Tenna had escaped detection. Tenna looked back to the distant spaceport.

“It’s so far away.” Tenna breathed, despair filling her voice.

“Maybe it’s far to a Lightwater person.” Trig said. “But you said it yourself, gravity is weaker here. Keep hold of my hand, breathe deep, and don’t panic. Got it?”

Tenna nodded.

On the count of three, the children took off. They would have to travel some eight kilometers, most of it over open ground and farmland, but Trig knew Eadleton, and that knowledge came in handy.

Reaching the bottom of the hill, Trig and Tenna waited for a water tanker to pass before crossing the road. The truck kicked up a dense wall of dust and dirt as it went by. Their movements obscured, the two children vanished along the bottom of an irrigation ditch. They re-emerged on the northern side of Eadleton Secondary School grounds.

For Trig, maneuvering through the fields like this was easy. It came naturally to him. Tenna was struggling. Unaccustomed to the local gravity, she stumbled and tripped over her own feet as she tried to run. Trig was not truly “running” across the surface in the way Tenna thought of. He was actually “bounding” over the landscape, moving in great leaps that kept both feet off the ground for several seconds. Realizing she needed to bound and not run, Tenna tried to keep pace with Trig and found her body uncooperative.

“I can’t keep up!” Tenna cried.

“Keep ahold of me, we’re halfway there!”

Tenna looked back and gasped. The children had covered a lot of ground in a short space of time. The Shepminter Smallholding was very far behind them. Pentwa herself was nowhere to be seen. Trig pulled Tenna’s arm and led her back into the farm fields.

Even though tall Solar Vine plants surrounded him, Trig knew roughly where to go. Living on Eadleton for the past thirteen years gave Trig an intimate knowledge of the ground. He felt Tenna tighten her grip on his hand, and his heart jolted, making him skip a breath.

“This way, come on!”

…

At the Eadleton Spaceport, the seven mercenaries of the Arfor Group were doing maintenance on their starship, the Resonance Cascade. Ponnico and Captain Kanter were having a conversation about yesterday’s events:

“I’m worried about all this.” Kanter said. “As soon as you can, I want you to bring the girl to us. We’ll take her to your Soothsayer friend on the Homeworld.”

“Are you sure?” Ponnico replied, stroking his beard with an apprehensive look. “Shouldn’t we look for a new contract?”

Kanter narrowed his eyes and replied coldly:

“Old man, I haven’t forgotten about where you came from. I know exactly who you are and what you used to be. Whatever happened here is some kind of ghost from the past. Your past. I am not comfortable getting us another contract until I know it won’t interfere with our work.”

The captain put a hand on Ponnico’s shoulder.

“Talk to that local woman again. Convince her to let us have the girl. As soon as she’s aboard, we leave.”

At that moment, both men were distracted by several loud noises. Trig and Tenna bounded onto the roof of a nearby shed, and then Trig jumped over the barbed-wire fence surrounding the Spaceport. he cleared the fence with room to spare and stuck the landing on the other side. Then he turned around to face Tenna.

“Jump! I’ll catch you!” He yelled.

Tenna just barely made it over the razorwire. Her skirt got snagged on barbed wire and tore loudly. Tenna tumbled to the ground, screaming. Trig caught her, falling to his knees from the effort.

Ponnico and Captain Kanter both startled with alarm as the children scrambled to their feet and ran toward the mercenaries.

“You’ve got to help us!” Trig shouted. “The kidnappers are after us! They’re coming for Tenna!”

“Ponnico, you just got yourself some bonus pay!” Captain Kanter raised his voice. “Everyone aboard and spool up the engines!”

Trig and Tenna jogged toward the boarding ramp. Selborne dropped a kit of mechanic’s tools and stood to one side, allowing the kids to pass. She looked around at the spaceport terminal and said:

“Hey, you see those guys over there? Seventy yards ahead, fourth building on the right. Those don’t look like spaceport officials to me.”

Selborne pointed at the terminal building.

Half a dozen men, plus one blue-skinned Olinbar, emerged from the building with rifles in their hands. They wore drab fatigues and were kitted out for battle.

“I see her!” One of the men shouted. “She’s changed clothes. Leather jacket, white skirt. She’s heading for the mercenary vessel!”

“Stop that ship!” His companion yelled. “Blast ‘em!”

Ponnico, Selborne, and Tactical Officer Rulan drew laser pistols and opened fire on the interlopers. The sudden eruption of gunfire caused Trig and Tenna to scream in panic. Glossom grabbed both kids and carried them up the ramp.

“Bronley, get us outta here!” Glossom roared.

Trig and Tenna fell on top of each other as Glossom tossed them into a storage room. The floor vibrated and a deep humming noise permeated the air around the children.

“What’s happening!?” Tenna cried out.

Dull thudding sounds told Trig that the kidnappers were firing their rifles at the starship. A voice came over the intercom, and Trig strained his ears, unable to tell which mercenary was speaking:

“Everyone hold onto your guts. This is gonna be a rough launch! Hey, have either of you kids ever flown in space before?”

“No!” Trig and Tenna yelled together.

“Then take some slow, deep breaths.” The voice replied. “This is gonna be a helluva ride for you. Hey, Rulan! PUNCH IT!”

The Resonance Cascade lunged upward, causing Trig and Tenna to be pressed into the floor. Unable to move, all the children could do was groan in pain as powerful forces pushed them up and away from the Eadleton moon.

<=== Previous (Chapter 7: Time to Run)

Next (Chapter 9: The Resonance Cascade) ===>​

 

[HistoryDude]

I wonder what the mercenaries want with Trig and Tenna... and I wonder what that "ghost of the past" is.

What's "the Homeworld" refer to? Kanter's homeworld?

What does that device used on Tenna do? Detect psionic sensitivity?

 

[Von Acturus]

Scanning Tenna could either mean they were seeking to confirm if it was really her or that they were seeking to confirm that she had some characteristic, probably psionics. And since she and Trig can share lucid dreams I'd go with her being psionic.

If Afor team are right and those guys aren't government, that means there are other people also hunting sutharian psionics.

But they needn't worry. I hear their ship is the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.