I burst into the Council meeting room, causing each of its occupants to stare at me as the doors swung shut in the back. I stood there panting as they took me in, having run the whole way from the forest in a frantic rush.
“Abigail?” one of the leaders asked hesitantly. I noticed that there were more leaders here than there were before; leaders from the Capitol, clearly here in an advisory capacity. “What are you doing here?”
“I went through the force field.” I answered and then watched as the leaders all sat up straighter, their eyes wide.
“How?” Lau, one of the other leaders, asked with his eyebrows drawn together accusingly.
“Sophie took me through, using her teleport device.” I explained quickly. “We talked to some of the humans, and, um, we found out why they’re here… and why they want to attack us.”
Everyone seemed to be holding their breath in the moment before I spoke my next words.
“It’s the Weraynians!” I said all in a rush, causing gasps and cries of outrage throughout the room. “They set it all up, by sending out a phony distress signal that the humans picked up. Somehow they breached the shields around Werayne, and they got a ship through.” The leaders stared at me in shock as I continued. “The Weraynians told these humans that us Paladanians had attacked and captured one of their fellow humans’ spacecraft, and so that’s why they’re so adamant to attack us now.”
There was a moment of silence, then; “No, that’s not possible!”
This was followed by a rough outbreak of yelling, as each leader had something to say about Werayne and how the humans couldn’t possibly have been there. I stood patiently in the centre of the chaos, strangely reminded of the earlier argument amongst the humans. Our two races were very similar in some ways, I thought.
“That’s not all though.” I added darkly, when a lull in the heated bickering showed up.
All eyes instantaneously were on me again.
“What else is there, then?” One of the leaders from the Capital asked in a solemn tone.
I turned my eyes on him. “Tomorrow morning, at dawn, the humans are going to set off an electromagnetic bomb at the force field, with as much power they can muster. If it takes out the force field, then most surely the town will be destroyed as well, or at least most of it.” I said. “And even that isn’t everything. The humans sent for reinforcements, lots of them. They plan on taking over the entire planet.”
“The things you are saying could not be easily done. The force field surrounding Werayne is impenetrable, and so should be the one surrounding the human vessel.” The same leader informed me. “How can you be so sure that these things you state are true?”
“Is Reeina here, the Paladanian leader?” I looked desperately around the room for the powerful leader from the night before. “She’ll be able to confirm the things I saw.”
“Yes, I’m here.” I heard a soft voice from the back of the room, and turned to see Reeina striding forward, hand outstretched. Once she reached me, she folded her fingers around my palm. “Show me.”
I closed my eyes and concentrated on the things I’d seen; the message coder in Jon’s room and the words it purveyed, the room full of weapons, the conversation with Jon about the Weraynians, the brawl in the dining hall. Reeina gave a slight gasp as I showed her, and I opened my eyes to see a tear tracking down her cheek.
“It’s true.” She whispered, and I nodded sadly. Then she turned to face the other leaders in the room. “Everything she said about the Weraynians and the humans is true, at least from her knowledge.”
The leaders exchanged glances with each other, some of them looking worried, others outright scared. I watched silently, wondering what they were planning to do about the revelation of the Weraynians.
“So it seems they have found a way to beat us.” The leader Criken finally said softly, though he looked paler than most. His family had been leaders for generations, going back all the way to the Great War, and he had always seemed to know more than the other leaders about what happened during the war. On Commemoration day, a special holiday of sorts, in which people all across the Staarus system remembered the day the war ended and honoured the lives that had been lost, Criken would always give a speech on how important the roles of certain people in the war had been. He was so passionate about it that everyone knew just how much he hated the Weraynians for what they’d done. So naturally he was terrified that the Weraynians found a way to breach the force field, and to be honest, so was I, though the impact of it hadn’t fully reached me yet.
“So what are you going to do about it?” I spoke up firmly, knowing that they needed to do something or everything would be lost.
The leaders stared at me before turning to face into the circle and having a harried conversation with each other. I probably could have listened in if I’d focused but I wasn’t bothered as well as being so, so tired.
I did notice the strain on some faces though, as though they were finding it hard to make sense of everything. I frowned. What was wrong with them? This whole situation might have been stressful, but not so much that it would be hard to concentrate. These were Paladanian leaders, for Staarus' stake! They were meant to be the best of us all, able to work out complex plans in a manner of minutes and diagnose any situation with complete understanding. My frown only deepened as I swept a complete glance around the table. They were all having trouble concentrating! What on Flauraan could possibly be wrong?
The leaders suddenly ended their conversation and turned to face me again.
“So?” I asked expectantly.
“We haven’t…. fully formed a plan yet.” A leader hesitantly informed me.
“HAVEN’T FULLY FORMED A PLAN YET?” I exploded at this, shocked at the actions of the leaders. Like I said, they were meant to be the best and brightest and yet they couldn’t work out what to do. The leaders all stared at me in shock, so I continued. “ARE YOU PALADANIANS OR NOT? It should not be that hard to work out how to fight off a small force of humans, albeit one with highly advanced weaponry! Look, things are really strange around here nowadays but this just tops it off! Why are you lot struggling with this?”
A moment of silence, then; “Don’t you feel it Abigail?” Ray locked eyes with me, his voice weak but determined. “Don’t you understand? Something is messing with our minds!”
My eyes widened to the size of saucers as I took it in. Of course, how had I been so stupid? It all made sense now! The strange feeling of uneasiness I’d been having, how I couldn’t understand Sophie’s meaning, and most importantly the incredible amount of time it took my mind to process the information from the message coder, were all due to the strange effects of something on my brain. Despite this, it didn’t take me long to work out what that strange something was.
“Oh.” I softly exclaimed. “It was the smoke.”
Ray’s eyebrows shot up and I noticed many of the other leaders straightening up as well.
“The smoke?” A leader asked suspiciously.
I nodded. “Haven’t you noticed something a bit strange about the air around the spaceship? Ever since it arrived last night there has been smoke surrounding it, even though it naturally should have thinned out within minutes of arrival. Plus the smoke is a lot denser than normal exhaust from engines or any other apparatus. So since we now know the Weraynians are involved, and their intent is to inhibit us, then we can assume that the smoke is in fact a gas specifically engineered to affect our synapses and slow down the processing powers of the Paladanian brain. The smoke was especially thick right before the force field was placed, most likely exciting the gas and enhancing its effects.”
“That is plausible.” One of the leaders from the Capitol nodded in approval. “The Weraynians are most definitely not above a scheme such as that.”
“Yes,” another leader acknowledged. “And it is so easily accomplished and yet so devastatingly complex that it could mean the doom of the Staarus System.”
I stared incredulously at this leader. Obviously her brain had been affected by the smoke more prominently than most. She looked at me for a moment as I stared, before her attention was drawn by the Council leader who gave a reply to her statement.
“Let’s not condemn ourselves just yet.” He said defiantly. “We are still Paladanian, and we will defeat the Weraynians, whether they have breached their planet’s boundaries or not.”
I nodded at this leader in admiration, pleased that his mind at least hadn’t been addled by the smoke. I realised that he was one of those who had come from the Capitol, so it made sense that he was still thinking clearly.
“Traleen is right.” Criken asserted in a low voice. “We must draw up plans immediately if we want to stop this bomb being set off tomorrow at dawn. We can puzzle over the Weraynian plot later.”
Everyone seemed to agree with this, and the focus was taken off where I was still standing as the leaders turned to mutter suggestions to each other, and they started to plan.
Not long after I was sitting in another room, sipping a mug of warm tea, as the inner circle of leaders squabbled over a battle diagram they had projected above the centre of the table. Specifically they were arguing about the variables involved in storming the humans and taking them by surprise. One of the main points was about how the human force would respond to a sudden attack. They might use their bomb anyway, just to blow us all up. They might shoot us all on sight. They might surrender but send a further distress signal, thus making the situation worse. One leader suggested that instead of just trying to gain control of them, we should try forced negotiations instead. The idea of this was that just before dawn we would lower the force field and all flock in there to beg for a chance to explain everything to the opposing humans. With the powerful Halapatovians and our own intricate technology on the Paladanian side of things, it was unlikely that many, if any, casualties would be obtained. Also, considering the disturbance Sophie and Jon had already caused and would still be causing among their ranks, it was probable that the humans would believe us and end the conflict between our peoples.
This was found to be the most sustainable approach and it was accepted gladly by the other leaders, who quickly started to prepare for the action to come.
It was about the middle of the night when Ray put a hand on my shoulder and told me gently to go home and get some rest, as well as to assure my parents that I was fine.
I thought this was a good idea too, so I set off for my house, alone this time. I had to admit I was missing the presence of Sophie, as her experience in this kind of thing had been a comfort the past day and I considered her already to be a good friend. My thoughts wandered once again to Leila. By now she would know about what was unfolding here. It would have been broadcast the moment the authorities found out, to make sure everyone in the Staarus System knew what was going on. In this case though, it probably wasn’t much help, because if the rest of the system didn’t notice the gigantic spaceship hovering over Werayne and then zooming across to Flauraan, then they wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop the crisis now. I wondered what Leila thought of all this. If she could contact me, she would probably gush about how much of a coincidence it was that a spaceship would land right near my house barely a week after she’d left for Halapatov. Then we’d theorise exactly how improbable this was, and compare the subsequent numbers to other mathematical concepts.
Instead, I was alone and not at all bothered to work out probability factors.
I stared down at the paved road as I walked in the dark, thinking about all this. The road was like that all through town, with suspended lamps to light the way at night. Houses and buildings were set back from the road, each with a strip of grass and plants in between. Once I reached the edge of town, and the final stretch my house was situated on, the scenery to my right became primarily nature based, as that was the beginning of the forest. It was still houses and street lamps on my left, and it stayed like that until the final house, mine. After that it was a gravel road leading out to open country, and on the right was, of course, the ascending slope running alongside the forest that eventually peaked at a height that looked right over the forest and towards the field where the spaceship now was. For once though, I wasn’t heading in the direction of the hill; I was going home.
Passing the faded front gate, I swept towards the door and knocked softly on it.
A few moments passed, and I heard the sound of scuttling footsteps making their way from the main room. Then the door swung inwards and my mother’s tired, worn out face was there to greet me. She smiled in absolute relief as she saw me, and immediately pulled me into a tight hug. She patted my hair down in a motherly way as she murmured to me how worried she was. I felt as if a weight had settled in my stomach. I knew that mum had known what I had been going to do, but I still felt horrible about having her fret over me. I tried to say something reassuring to make up for it but the words couldn’t seem to form in my mind so instead I just said “I’m sorry,” softly over and over again.
“Why don’t I pour you a hot drink, honey?” My mother offered me as we entered the combined living room and kitchen that made up a third of our house.
“No, it’s okay mum.” I replied, taking a seat at the kitchen table. “I had one at the Council building while I was conferring with the leaders.”
“Hmm.” She frowned in disapproval while pouring herself a mug of tea. “It would have been nice if you’d come here first, at least so your father and I could know you were alright.”
I shook my head solemnly. “I couldn’t do that. While Sophie and I were among the humans, we found out a few things that needed to be addressed immediately.”
“Like what?” Mum asked, cocking her head on one side curiously.
I looked at her with wide eyes, taking in the bags under her eyes and her tense posture before I told her. “It was the Weraynians.”
The cup slipped from her hand and smashed into tiny pieces, spreading shards of ceramic and steaming liquid across the floor. Normally this would be something she would react to instantly, springing into action and cleaning up the mess her mug had made but she didn’t even seem to notice, instead she stared blankly ahead in shock.
I bit my lip nervously, wondering if it was a good idea to continue with my story. I knew mum wouldn’t take it well, but she needed to know what was going on.
“They set us up, mum. They set it all up.” I said cautiously, eyes searching her expression for any warning signs. “The humans came here because they thought we’d kidnapped one of their ships, courtesy of a Weraynian lie. The Weraynians have worked out a way to breach the force field; that’s how they made contact with the humans. And they made the humans send out a distress signal to the rest of their people. There are human ships coming mum, lots of them and-”
I was cut off when my dad wrenched the kitchen door open, looking dishevelled in his sleepwear but still alert. His eyes roved over me, mum in her shocked state, and the remnants of the smashed cup on the floor, and then his eyes grew dark as his mouth set in a grim line.
“What’s the bad news?” he asked me solemnly.
“Weraynians.” I answered simply.
I saw a flash of total panic cross his face before he moved swiftly over to support mum. I watched sadly as he moved her gently away from the mess on the floor and held her tight. She looked slowly up into his eyes and murmured a soft, scared, ‘no.’
My mother was shaking with fear; she was terrified! I felt as if a crushing weight was weighing me down as it finally sunk in exactly what this whole situation meant. The Weraynians were angry with our people and the rest of the Staarus system for defeating them and imprisoning them, so if they escaped that would mean a bigger war than ever, worse than even the Great War. The blood drained from my face. While I’d been with Sophie, using gadgets and causing arguments among vengeful humans, I had been treating this as a game, a fun adventure when it was anything but. The fate of the entire Staarus system depended on this one battle. If we could convince the humans tomorrow morning to call off their back up then forces could be directed to Werayne to stop them from escaping. Everything hung in the balance here. It wasn’t the Paladanians against some simple humans; it was all of us against the Weraynians. With this realisation I stepped forward and placed my arms around my parents, hugging them tightly. We stood there, silently, for a minute before mum seemed to come back to life. Her eyes were red as she stepped back and stared at the ground. Suddenly she stooped down and started clearing up the debris. I knelt down and helped her.
Still no one spoke.
Once the shards from the mug were swept up and the floor wiped clean, dad made mum another warm drink and we sat around the table, each staring into space. We were all anticipating the hard times to come.
Mum spoke up after one of the longest silences I’d ever encountered.
“Your brother called earlier.” She told me, her voice weak. I perked up immediately. Seeing as he lived and worked in another country, I didn’t see my brother much, and he rarely contacted us.
“Really?”
“Yes, he saw the news broadcast about… about the humans. He wanted to see if we were alright.”
“What did you tell him?” I asked softly.
She sighed. “I told him the basics. They were in a force field, we were unharmed, and you had a new friend.”
“Huh.”
There was another bout of silence. Then, noting the time, I got up and sleepily announced I had decided to go to bed.
Mum looked up at me swiftly, her eyes rimmed with red. “You didn’t tell me what’s happening tomorrow, with the force field.”
I stared at her for a moment, contemplating whether I should tell her about the bomb. Eventually I decided against it. “I’m going with the leaders in there to attempt negotiations with the humans.”
“Oh.” I could see mum was struggling not to tell me no, and she managed a tight smile. “Do you really have to be there?”
“Yes, I’m pretty sure I do.” I told her, nodding solemnly. “It could be the most important event in aid of stopping the Weraynians.”
She looked down with a deep breath. “Alright then.” Mum stood up, walked over to me and kissed me on the forehead. “Get some sleep, honey.”
I gave a nod, turning towards my room. That was when my father stood up as well and gave me a hug.
“You’re a brave girl Abigail. I am so proud of you.” He said gruffly into the top of my head, before letting me go. “Goodnight, sleep well.”
I headed to my bedroom. The door creaked as I pushed it open, and I entered my silent quarters, staring at the dark shapes ranged around the room. After the stark, futuristic furniture of the spaceship it was comforting to be back in a simple place like my bedroom. My eyes passed over the familiar silhouettes of my bed, my desk and my clothes chest and I breathed in deep the smell of my room. Yeah, it was definitely good to be back.
I flopped down on my bed and pulled a blanket over my tired body. The day’s events had taken their toll. I expected to be asleep in no time, but for once my evaluation was wrong. Every time I closed my eyes, imagery from the Great War flashed at the forefront of my mind. I’d grown up learning about it so I knew all the unpleasant details. They’d told the stories so that everyone in the Staarus system was ready for when the inevitable escape happened. It was common knowledge that the Weraynians were only temporarily trapped inside that force field, as they were genetically enhanced soldiers bent on conquering the universe and therefore would not stop trying, ever. It was a constant threat, and whenever the Weraynians found a way to weaken the force field, my people along with the Halapatovians would just reinforce it. Usually it was enough but occasionally, it wasn’t.
As I mulled these things over I was struck by a sudden, horrifying realisation. Another thing I’d learnt at a young age was what had become known as ‘Weraynian Scares’. Sometimes the force field would be breached and a few of their ships would make it through before it could be patched up. This had happened multiple times over the years, but the biggest one ever had occurred about thirty years before I was born. Six entire battle cruisers had passed out of Werayne, and it had been weeks before they were stopped. It had been the closest to a war our people had experienced since the original, and for those present it had been made even more terrifying discovering what this scare meant. Once all the Weraynian ships had been destroyed, the head leaders had determined that it would be only fifty years until the Weraynians destroyed the force field for good, and the next Great War began.
I felt the urge to smack myself in the head. Clearly that was the reason my parents had been so scared by my story. They had both only been young when those ships escaped and wreaked havoc on the system. Things like that, at such a young age, always found a way to weave themselves into nightmares and traumatise a person for the rest of their life. How could I have forgotten about it before? I knew the answer, but I tried to repress it from my mind. It was pointless worrying about some intricate drug the Weraynians had concocted when there was a war to stop.
I tried to clear my mind, wanting to at least get a few hours’ sleep before the most likely gruelling events of the next day. But no matter what I tried, my body would not relax and it was impossible for me to sleep.
I sighed, sitting up in bed and pushing my back against the wall. I eased my window open to let in some fresh air, and revelled in the cool breeze that instantly greeted me. Yet again, trying not to dwell on thoughts of war, I focused on the small amount of sky that could be seen from my vantage point, and watched the stars. I stayed in that position, eyes riveted on the sky, until it began to lighten and I knew that my time of relaxation was over.