Chapter
8: The Ny’Karin Slayer
It’s
been two days since Treau and Chandra escaped. However, they ended up in the
vast desert of Barunda. The ship crashed when they were shot down by a bomber
who was in pursuit but both ships plunged into the desert. They landed in the
Dunes of Caspria and not even the Javarin guards would follow them.
“War is all around and it’s a matter of time
before either side attempts to retrieve the ship if they can that is. We must
find our way out of here,” said Chandra. Treau agrees and tries to send a
transmission to the nearby Ny’Karin ship orbiting Barunda.
“I cannot link with Soran. I wonder why? For some reason there is some kind of electromagnetic blockage in this area,” said Chandra. She was injured during the crash, but she will heal, the nano cells will do their job within time. The night air is lukewarm, perfect summer breeze but Barunda has many unsuspecting surprises, and one of them is the Casprian sandworms. They consume everything that crosses their path, rising from beneath their vixtim lairs under the sands to swallow unsuspecting travelers. The creatures are nocturnal and dangerous, Chandra and Treau know about this, and they do their best to stay as quiet as possible while in the ship. Treau gave Chandra some decent clothes to wear.
“I
am thankful that you got this uniform, I just didn’t want to be wearing those
rags I was subjected to wearing,” she told him. Her slave garments are tattered
and dirty. “The uniform belonged to one of the fallen Ny’Karins,” Treau
conceded as he handed it to her. She got dressed. Silence fell between them.
“I
haven’t been open about my experiences while in the custody of Nagar, but I’d
rather not think about it and I just want to move on,” she said.
“I
understand,” said Treau. Chandra looked out the window of the ship.
“When night falls, we should venture to the oasis
east from here, to get better reception. It’s possible I will be able to link
with Soran,” whispered Chandra. Treau nodded. “The desert will become very hot
during the day, it is our best hope in making it to the oasis,” Treau
suggested. They gathered their things, Chandra took a Javarin rifle with her. Chandra
could hear the sandworms beneath the earth. The nano-cells have increased her
hearing and perception, but her wound is still mending. She gulped and sighed.
A worried look shadowed her face.
“Do not worry. Everything will come together
the way it is supposed to be,” Treau reassured her.
“That’s
not very reassuring,” she responded.
“How
do you mean?” asked Treau, as he lowered the shield and opened the ramp.
“If
everything plays out the way it should, that means I will die,” she said, with
a pensive tone.
“I
understand,” he responded.
“Well, we better head out, the sandworms are stirring.” She thought about the dream she had the other night; it was about her children. She knows she will never see them again. “How cruel life is,” she thought. Holding back tears, she pushed forward with Treau.
He is in his natural form and will not transform
until Ny’Karins show up to pick them up. Unbeknownst to Chandra, her fate is
intwined with Kykia, the Dryadian priestess that Soran loved. She contains a
part of her spirit with the memories of Alyssa, the woman she once was on
Earth.
“I am just a vessel to the energy that once harbored those poor souls,” thought Chandra. The ship moved and the sandworms rumbled deep beneath the earth, making tunnels as they go. She just wants to end her journey; end her life of not being Human but not being anything else too. Treau can sense her turmoil within. “Please, it does no good to worry,” he said. She nodded. Every step they take brings them to freedom or death, her heart sank. Suddenly the ground started to rumble beneath them. “Shit! Stay very still,” said Chandra, exigently. A sandworm’s head emerged a few yards away from them, the sand rolled down off its body as it pushed up to the surface.
“The body has not
fully erected from the ground; it is much larger in perspective. This one must
be a female,” said Treau. Treau and Chandra stared in awe. “Oh, damn,” said Chandra, exhaling. They stood
still and Chandra raised her rifle slowly. “I don’t think you should do that,”
Treau warned her.
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