Chapter 12: The Relic

“That’s all we could scavenge,” Petty Officer Chris told Fengge. “It’s a mess up there as it is.”

At least twenty Alara’jal and a few humans were in another small field approximately two kilometers from the village. It was not significant, with just enough room for a makeshift shed and basic grassy landing pad. This was where the large brown Itrean shuttle resided. Fengge was standing beside Tonja, overlooking the vessel. The vessel had seen better days. Being hundreds of years old, there were signs of wear and tear. It looked like the field had been abandoned for some time.

The shuttle was long and rectangular, with a sleek edge on the top dorsal bow where the cockpit resided. There were three thruster assembly units on the starboard and port sides. It was almost over seventy meters in length with much of the brush and forest overgrowing the area. There was an alcove where there was supposed to be a gun turret on the side that had been long removed. If anything, there were signs of plants and vines growing over the landing struts that the Alara’jal were busily trying to remove.

Petty Officer Chris was in an enclosed flight suit, along with a couple of other humans in similar attire. A small hover-cart that carried various parts and belongings was not far from them. The other Alara’jal were busy working inside the shuttle, replacing the worn-down equipment with whatever worked. Chris, whose face could be barely seen, was talking with Fengge.

“Thank you for coming down so quickly,” Fengge told him.

“Well ... orders are orders...,” Chris replied as he looked up at the Alara’jal. His Martian accent was apparent. “Why do you guys got to be so big? It’s difficult trying to get a ship operational as it already is.”

Tonja turned and looked at the shuttle again. She sighed, wondering if there were other ways that they could get into space.

“Is it breathable in the Alaron?” Fengge asked.

“Negative, Doc...” The petty officer replied. “We can’t get main power restored, and that means no life support. We made sure to get that suit brought to you ... if you plan on going onboard.”

For a brief moment, Fengge looked at Tonja. If she was going, then so should he. “I’ll take it.”

Chris waved to the others to the nearby hover-cart where the parts and supplies had been nearly picked clean. Another person handed a helmet, white garment, boots, and a small O2 recycler unit to Fengge.

“You know how to operate this, Doc?” Chris asked him.

“I do ... don’t worry about me,” the paleontologist replied.

“Alright ... then that’s all we can do here.” Chris waved his hand toward the others. “We’ll meet all you guys on the Alaron...”

“Any word if the Aksren are here?”

“None, yet. Honestly ... I would prefer to be up there than down here. See you soon, Doc.”

With that, the humans left, taking their hover cart with them. Tonja was speaking with one of the engineers. However, their comments didn’t show much promise, as Fengge could understand enough. Finally, after a short discussion, Tonja gestured that they continue.

“How is the shuttle?” he asked her.

“Three of the thrusters work,” she told him. “We ... need one more to work ... if the shuttle will fly.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” he replied.

“No ... my mate. They will try ... to fix one more. With four thrusters working ... we have to have few passengers. Otherwise ... shuttle will not fly.”

“Should I stay?”

“No. You are light. Alara’jal are heavy ... but no more than four can come.”

“Only that much? That won’t help in getting the Alaron fixed.”

“You, I, Hev’benni, and Tochasa will go.”

“Tochasa? No offense, but...”

“Tochasa will help...” She interrupted him. “He knows how to pilot. I ... want him to come. He needs to see space ... travel ... and help convince the others.”

“I guess you’re right.” A part of Fengge felt on edge with the idea, but it still made sense. However, as he looked at Tochasa, he did admit that he was calmer. He never looked at Fengge or Tonja but simply focused on the shuttle. It was almost as if last night never happened regarding his violent streak.

“Tonja!” A younger Alara’jal came running to the female elder. It was Ienikiky. He was running at full speed. A hint of panting could be seen from his frame. In his arms were six disc-shaped devices.

“Ienikiky... ClickChirp,” She told him as the kid handed two of the devices to her. Not far from the boy was another female Alara’jal. She was slow, but on her backpack were three assault rifles. The boy seemed focused on handing the other devices to the Hey’benni and Tochasa.

“What is that?” Fengge asked, looking at the devices.

“It ... belonged to my mother. She only ... wore this once,” Tonja told him.

She slapped both of the devices onto her chest and back. Immediately, the disks began to glow yellow. A metal sheath grew from its sides. It was starting to cover her tan skin. Fengge briefly recognized it to be wrap armor, but the type used explicitly by the Alara’jal. More and more of this metal skin enveloped her body. Her chest, arms, stomach, legs, and tail were getting consumed by this alloy.

Fengge watched in wonder at this. Unlike the smaller wrap armors used by the other clan species, this was flashier for a good reason. There was much more to the grandiose size of the Alara’jal. The metal was brown and gold in shine. On the top part of her chest piece that overlapped her breasts was a shiny red jewel that almost looked like a glowing ruby. Eventually, all but her head was covered up. The metal skin was flexible and durable. It was light and could most likely withstand almost any type of small arms munitions thrown against it. Razor sharp metal claws stuck from her fingertips. The end of the tail was a small metal-spiked club. No doubt that the Alara’jal armor was better than the Shal’rein.

“Marvelous...,” Fengge commented with a smile. “Absolutely marvelous. Never have I seen such an example of the Alara’jal in their combat armor. I must get pictures!”

Fengge almost dropped his suit. With one hand, he was fumbling with his small camera device in his pocket. Meanwhile, Tonja was handed her combat rifle, which she had used in yesterday’s hunt. She held it in both hands. Again, there was a sense of raw power. She was little more than a giant metal titan.

“Odd...,” she commented. “It feels ... natural. Do I look good?”

Fengge pulled out his camera and began to take quick snapshots. Obviously, he had to look up at her, making the shots somewhat challenging. However, he would have to make do. She slipped the rifle onto her back with a metallic magnetic clink.

“You are beautiful ... incredible,” Fengge said. “You look ready to travel.”

She flexed her hands and slapped them together, making another metallic clunk. She was menacing indeed. Even without the armor, she could eviscerate anything that stood in her way. Her massive size could easily able to overcome most obstacles. However, combined with her armor, she was a literal walking juggernaut capable of destroying enemy vehicles of the same size. It was possible that they were near invincible.

A few of the other Alara’jal were watching in similar awe as well. It was something that was barely even seen, even by their standards. The armor was a relic of the past, but history and the present were converging. Even Tonja braved herself further as she tapped a button on her wrist computer. She struggled to learn the controls, reading all the data presented to her. Finally, she tapped a small triangular button with her pointed claw. The armor then started to overstretch her neck and head. It was like she was dipped into gold mercury. Her helmet overlapped her eyes. A black visor appeared before a brown metal ridge formed near the bridge between her eyes.

“Ah...,” Tonja reacted. “I can breathe through this ... so much information ... I can see everything.”

Fengge knew that time was precious. He couldn’t fool around. He continued to see the work being poured into the shuttle. For now, all he could do was get dressed and wait...

“They are finished,” Tonja said. “We can get in.”

“Alright, then,” Fengge replied. He stood in his suit. It was a similar uniform to the one that he wore back at Zalri’eko. Of course, he felt so insignificant when compared to the near-golden armor that Tonja was wearing. Regardless, he saw Tochasa and Hev’benni in similar wrap armor. Both of them carried their respective rifles. There were slight differences between both of these males. Tochasa had a slight razorblade look atop his forehead. Hev’benni, a smaller but slightly chubby male, carried a small pack of hand tools slung over his shoulder, similar to a purse.

The rest of the Alara’jal were leaving and putting distance to the jerry-rigged shuttlecraft. In the far distance, there was the sign of something loud that was departing. The UHN shuttle had taken off and was heading away. A small jet plume of blue could be briefly seen before it disappeared into the sky. Fengge focused on getting into the Itrean shuttle. Much like the village, it almost looked like a large shack with bulbous thrusters sitting outward.

“I hope that Ienikiky will take good care of my hat and clothes,” Fengge commented before looking up at Tonja. “Ready?”

“Yes,” she replied.

The doors to the vessel seemed large but only necessary for the Alara’jal. The interior of the craft had seen better days. A massive effort had been made to clean the main seating compartment. Despite the grand size of this shuttle, it could only house so many at once. At least ten seats lined the sides. To the shuttle’s rear was a room dedicated to the now removed side gun turret. A couple of other “small” facilities lay near the back towards the rear engines. The front of the compartment was the slightly elevated cockpit.

Tochasa said a few words in Itrean as he climbed behind the large pilot seat. For a brief moment, he seemed unfamiliar with the controls. Some plant life had grown on the consoles that he was busily wiping away. Hev’benni climbed up behind Tonja and Fengge and found a quick seat. As Tonja walked, the sound of metal feet would slap the metal deck of the shuttle. The enclosed interior served as an excellent conveyer of sound.

“Hmm...,” Fengge remarked. “These seats are a little too big for me.”

“I will help,” Tonja replied. They reached the opposite side where Hev’benni sat. Immediately, Fengge felt himself being gently grabbed by Tonja. She quickly lifted him and placed him on the seat.

“Thanks,” he replied. “Almost like an infant. Glad I’m light.”

Tonja got comfortable sitting down on the seat. She had to flex her tail, which she seemed uncomfortable doing. Thankfully, the armor was responsive. With every movement, the system would properly flex for her. Fengge did his best to strap himself.

Meanwhile, Tochasa focused on the console. After tapping a few buttons, the console opened two panels. The gooey innards were exposed, where the Alara’jal stuffed his hands into.

A short series of flashes began to erupt through the console. It was slow, but the entire system powered up. Fengge had yet to learn what the shuttle’s power source was, but it was working at least. Then, finally, the big door lifted and closed up. Tochasa said a couple of Itrean words. The paleontologist recognized it as “Hold on.”

“Wow...,” Fengge remarked. He grabbed his seat as the shuttle lurched upward. It was slow. From the cockpit window, he could see that the vessel was lifting very slowly. The roaring sound of the engines could be heard.

“It works...,” Tonja commented with a mild hint of relief. “Itrea’s Embrace.”

It was just enough. The four thrusters were working as hard as they could. The shuttle was starting to clear some of the tall trees. Fengge wondered if the old vessel would hold out or not. A single thruster going offline would cause the entire craft to crash. It was true. Any additional weight and they wouldn’t have cleared the ground.

There was enough clearance from the tree tops that Tochasa altered the vessel’s angle. Suddenly, the rear engines activated, and everyone was pressed to their seats. The shuttle was picking up speed. Slight flickers in the internal lights erupted on the ship. There would be no hesitation in this. The shuttle would have to reach into space or fall apart in the process.

“Phew...,” Fengge commented. “This never gets old for me. Felt like I just did this not too long ago.”

“This is ... fun,” Tonja reacted. The human looked over to Tonja. It must have been rare for her to see her environment like this. But, to be over it and to observe the surface was a spectacle to behold.

“First time?” he asked her.

“Once ... when I was young. Flew with my father.”

“We can go flying more often, you know?”

“I might like that.”

The shuttle’s speed was continuing. It was unknown how long it would take to exit the atmosphere. A minute or two had passed. Yet, amazingly, the vessel was holding firm. Despite the hundreds of years of environmental beating pressed upon it, the Alara’jal shuttle still had one last job to do.

“I wonder...,” Fengge remarked as the g-forces continued to press into him. “Your shuttles barely work. Only big transports are going to get your people out of here. Will the Alaron even handle 1,700?”

“I do not know, my mate.” Her breathing was tense. “Too many things ... to worry.”

Her hand was extended open for him to take. Fengge reciprocated and held her hand. Hers easily engulfed it. For a brief moment, Hev’benni turned his head to see the two holding hands. It was a familiar gesture that the Itreans seemed to understand. His head cocked to the side in surprise before he grabbed onto his bag harder.

The shuttle continued to gain more and more altitude. It traveled through the clouds, going higher and higher into the sky.

“It was difficult for my mother...,” Tonja told Fengge. “Hundreds of us ... little resources.”

“I know ... but you survived,” he replied.

“I do not know what ... would happen if you ... did not come.”

“I know it isn’t easy.”

“I think ... that you were ... the human word... ‘destined?’”

“Yeah ... that’s correct,” He affirmed to her.

“Destined ... yes ... you were destined to find us. I ... hope to survive.”

“You will.”

“I am only sad ... sad that we might fight ... scared.”

“It isn’t easy for me either.”

“We are peaceful ... hate fighting. Fight to survive, yes ... but killing ... we do not enjoy.”

“Somewhere, I think there will be a path we will all take together. Even the ones that want to destroy us will eventually follow us.”

“But, it will be ... sometime. Very long time. It never ... ended during my mother’s life. We run ... war continues.”

“I’m sure it will come to an end.”

The paleontologist could see that Tonja had her concerns. It wasn’t easy to ask a people that did their best to avoid violence to have to embrace it suddenly. However, with the horrors that he had seen since yesterday, he was well aware that rebuilding was more crucial than ever. Somewhere, there was a place for the Alara’jal species to continue. It reminded him more and more of his choices of the night before.

“My mate...,” she asked him. “Last night ... were you sure ... about becoming my mate?”

Fengge nodded his head. “I found perfection ... I found you. It was quick ... but a good decision. I don’t look back. I only look forward.”

It was said without any hesitation. Any harder in her grip, and she risked crushing the human’s hand. She seemed complete. Before they knew it, more and more time had passed till the darkness of space was coming into view. The blue horizon slowly turned to black, and a sea of stars could be seen past the binary stars’ glow.

“Itrea’s Embrace...,” Tonja remarked. “So beautiful...”

The shuttle had to work less and less as it continued to gain altitude. Finally, from the massive orb of the planet, the brown rectangular craft emerged. Tonja sat in amazement at the entire scene that was taking place. Finally, the rear thrusters began to ease up. There were slight adjustments made to put the vessel on a direct course with the Alaron. At the time, the great battleship couldn’t be seen yet, but Fengge could remark that the main window highlighted a green window. Among one that was illuminated was the supposed location of the almost derelict warship. Two other lit dots could be seen. Most likely, this was the Drake and the Menshe’tat. Their rear thrusters were positioned toward the planet.

The aft thrusters of the shuttle had eased up. The acceleration had become very comfortable. Fengge could see that Tonja’s armored feet clamped to the deck in response to the change in gravity. The same occurred with Fengge’s boots.

“Back in space again...,” Fengge commented.

“I ... it is ... so different,” Tonja said. “So much dark ... so black. I always see night ... but it is night everywhere. No ... grabity.”

“Gravity,” he corrected. “Yep. We’ve escaped your planet’s gravity.”

The other two Alara’jal also seemed to react to the changing environment as well. It was such a new experience for them, something that they would have to adapt to rather quickly.

“Does ... Earth ... Itrea ... have the same gravity ... same as my village?” she asked him.

“It ... felt the same,” Fengge replied, thinking about it as he tapped his straps. “I don’t have the exact numbers, but ... I guess it is heavier on Earth, but ... I don’t think it will be an issue. I swear the time that passed on your world was also very similar. Earth shouldn’t be too difficult to live on.”

Tochasa began to talk to Tonja. He was still focused on the flight, but there was a list of things that he mentioned. Fengge almost missed what he tried to say.

“What did he say?” the paleontologist asked.

“He says that we are free ... from the planet. The ... life support ... stopped working. The engine that was fixed ... broken.”

“Phew...,” Fengge commented. “Good thing we have our suits, then. No turning back, now.”

“It is scary...” Tonja’s voice showed a hint of tension.

“You ok?”

“So different ... different environment. Breaking down.” She hadn’t let go of his hand.

“We’ll make it. No matter what, we’ll find a way to get us back down to the surface.”

“Scared of many things ... evil ... fighting.” She tried to remain composed. “Going to the Alaron ... sacred.”

“Your mother’s ship. I’m sure she would understand under these circumstances.”

“No ... the Alaron is ... to some of us ... a temple. We have no rules, but ... to go there. My mother told me ... to avoid it. Only bad future follows it.”

“But we are going to it. Your mother wanted a future where the Alara’jal never needed to worry about violence. I truly understand that. It’s a marvelous goal, but...,” Fengge sighed. “I think your mother would be happy to see this path we are taking. If it meant life or death, then we go together ... venture the wilds of space and fight the monsters that wish to hurt us.”

From the cockpit window, the Alaron was starting to appear. It was still a tiny dot, but it was getting bigger. It would be a matter of time before a set of thrusters would be activated to slow the shuttle down. Before anything else could happen, Fengge’s wrist computer on his suit began to beep. Tonja let go of the man’s hand so the paleontologist could answer it. A single button tap was enough to open an audio-only communication channel.

“Doctor Fengge, do you read?” A raspy male voice came over the comms. A hint of a Cebravin accent could be heard from the unknown person.

“That’s me,” Fengge happily replied.

“Doctor, this is Chief Engineer Marquise on the Alaron. Glad to see you coming in.”

“Likewise. Not much I can do on my end. I only know so much about fixing things, but ... I brought friends.”