Nathan Hystad - The Survivors - Books 1-3

“Stay here,” I said to Leonard, and passed him my pistol. He took it with a trembling hand.

He pointed the gun at the remaining guard, who glared at me with hate and distaste. “Don’t let him get too close. If he does, shoot him in the head.”

“Dean, I don’t know if I can.”

“You have to. Do it and let yourself grieve later.”

He nodded, and I turned and walked toward the Empress and the child.

The room had a boardroom-style table in it, and it was uncanny how much their civilization mirrored our own. A holographic video played in the center of the table: images of large Bhlat ships moving around a planet. I watched it for a few seconds and realized it wasn’t just any planet; it was Earth.

I almost grabbed the communicator to make contact, but waited. I stepped toward the couch, and the woman said something quietly to the child before turning to me.

For a Bhlat, she was stunning. Her wide face was framed by thick black braids, and her eyes were a light swirling red, making me think of molten lava. Her lips parted in a thin smile, sharp teeth making her look like a dangerous predator.

“I wondered when someone would make it up here. I expected it from the Kraski, if I’m being honest, but not a human.” She spoke in perfect English, and I was caught off-guard. I closed my mouth, not wanting her to see my surprise.

“We’re craftier than you think,” I said, playing along with her banter.

“Whom am I addressing?” she asked. Beside her, the little girl’s blue eyes danced as she stared at me intently.

“Dean Parker,” I said, glad to get a reaction from her.

“You’re a hard man to kill, it seems. Admiral Blel told me only a while ago he had your friends, and that you were dead. They seemed to want to barter but claimed they wouldn’t talk yet.”

“The timing just had to be right.”

“Yes, so it seems.” She looked over my shoulder to where Leonard was holding a gun to the guard; then she glanced to the floor, where the dead one lay in a pile. “What is it you want?”

“I want peace. I want you to leave Earth and never come back.”

“It’s too late for that. We’ve already begun the harvest. There’s no going back.”

I cringed inwardly. I had to pivot. “Then let us leave, and you can have it.” I was literally bartering away a planet, but given the circumstance, I didn’t have a choice.

She looked intrigued. “Is that so?”

“Yes. Take the planet. Use its water, use its ore, but let us leave. Don’t make contact ever again.”

“Or what?” she asked.

“You don’t want to find out,” I said, almost bluffing, but knowing I could still end their city with the touch of a button.

She stood silent for a minute, analyzing the situation.

“We have a deal,” she said, and I felt a fraction of the tension in my back ease up. She moved for the table and tapped an icon glowing on a built-in screen.

She said something in Bhlat, and I caught the name Blel . A gruff voice called back, and they went back and forth. I heard the name Mary carry over, and I gripped the rifle harder.

“What did he say?” I asked, remembering the dreams I’d had in which Mary was killed in our final confrontation with the Bhlat.

She didn’t say anything for a long minute, and my eyes started to well up. “What did he say?” I yelled.

“He said there was an altercation. One of the human guests has been killed.”

My gut clenched, and my vision went black. “Which guest ?” I asked, knowing the answer.

One word escaped through her sharp teeth, her swirling eyes conveying a touch of sympathy. “Mary.”

The door blew open before I had a chance to let it soak in. I almost didn’t turn to the concussion blast. If she was gone, then what was the point?

Leonard’s yelling voice brought me back, and I spun, firing at the incoming guards. Red pulses erupted from my rifle, and Leonard’s pistol joined me as a dozen armed Bhlat raced into the room. I just needed to touch the Empress and Leonard, and we could get out of here. Only when I looked back at her, she and the child were near the window.

We ducked behind the table, trading fire with the newcomers. I made a lucky shot and saw one of them drop dead. Leonard had his hand up over his head, firing backwards with his eyes closed. One of his shots hit, and footsteps started coming our way, closer to us.

The Empress called out a command, and the firing instantly stopped. She said another string of words, and the warriors lowered their weapons. I didn’t do the same. For all I knew, we’d raise our hands and get killed for our efforts.

I stood up, rifle pointed at the eight or so standing guards, and crossed the room to the imposing woman at the window. The Relocator was in my other palm now, and Leonard got close.

The Empress looked at us, and to the dead guards on the floor. She held her daughter’s hand as I reached to touch her and Leonard with my bare hands. I touched the Relocator.

“I f we made a deal, why did we take their Empress?” Leonard asked, his hands still shaking. I was impressed with how well he’d handled himself and told him so.

“For insurance. I don’t trust them, and right before we got rudely interrupted, we heard that… they killed someone.” I wouldn’t believe she was dead or let myself dwell on the implications, because I’d be a mess on the ground if I did.

“Where are we?” the Empress asked, her child finally done crying. We were in the portal cave, but I wouldn’t let her see outside and let her know where the portal was located.

“Don’t worry about that. Leonard, blindfold them.” I ripped some fabric from the woman’s robe, and Leonard gently tied the red fabric around her face, then the girl’s. Neither protested.

Once they couldn’t see, we led them to the portal room. The last few days’ events raced through my mind. Mary’s last words to me rang in my ears, and I almost stopped right there. We were close to the end, I knew it. I just didn’t know what the end meant. The end of the conflict, or the end of us?

Soon we were standing behind the table in the center of the room, and I found Earth’s symbol with a shaky hand.

“Dean?” Leonard asked, breaking me from my daze.

Instead of answering him, I just tapped the icon, and light enveloped the four of us.

T he trip to the surface took a while, since we had to rise through the thick earth in pairs. This time, I kept my eyes closed the whole time, our counterparts not having to think about it with theirs covered. The child whimpered in my arms, but I ignored her. Their comfort meant nothing to me. All I could think about was getting up to the invading Bhlat ship where Mary was.

Once we made it outside, I nearly doubled over. Last time we’d left, the Bhlat mining machines had been lowering. Now the sky was covered in clouds, the atmosphere thin and breaking up.

The huge mining vessels didn’t seem active, so maybe the Bhlat were here to barter. Looking around, I knew it was too late to salvage our world. My stomach sank, and my already morose mood took on an all-time low.

I’d lost the woman I loved and a planet in the same day.

Leonard looked around in wide-eyed wonder, his face having gone pale the instant he’d stepped outside.

With no other option, I took out my communicator. “This is Dean Parker. I have your Empress. Send a ship to me, and we end this now.” I was done messing around.

A Bhlat voice spoke through the communicator, and the Empress translated for me.

“They have dispatched a ship and are willing to parley peacefully.” Her voice was firm, even though her hands were tied and her eyes covered.