Drops of ink. Rivulets of ink. Dark as the heavens.

All that is seen. All that is.

The cataclysm awaits Elsewhere.

Far beyond that divide.

Where the rift has no hold.

Chapter 1

            The sol began to rise over the seemingly endless deserts of Aten. I pulled myself up off my cot and watched the sol rise above the horizon through the cracks in the rock. An eerie orange glow was cast over the planet. Shadows cast out along the rolling, barren hills. Heat began to creep into everything chasing off the coldness of the night.

Slivers of light filtered through the cracks as the sol crept higher and higher across the sky. Day was breaking fast. The lines of light danced across the small cavern that we called home. I kicked the blankets off my legs and sat the rest of the way up. I heard the shift in the wind. I snatched the fraying towel from the ground and stuffed it into the crack in the rock.

The wind howled as it banged against the rock around us. Grains of sand and dirt still managed to find their way inside the cavern. The wind shifted again; pounding right into the rock face. The rocks around us hummed as the wind pummeled against the rocks. Everyone was stirring now, except for Gabriel next to me. They remained asleep, curled up without a care of what was going on.

I felt a hand wrap around my upper arm. I glanced over at my brother, Jaymes. His eyes were filled with worry. The others began to move around. The fear of the cavern caving in was always in our minds when the winds changed. Samirah hurried to the back of the cavern, waiting in the little tunnel that leads down into the aquifer. Kannan followed after her. He wrapped his arms around her as she shivered. Rockslides were an ever-present fear of hers.

There was an ear-splitting crack echoing around and off the rocks bringing Gabriel sitting straight up on their cot. Thunder rolled all around us. Echoing off the rock face, echoing down through the aquifer and across the water. Echoing across the sandy hills. In the night, a storm had formed and the rising sol warmed the air enough for the storm to explode around us.

Samirah slipped down the tunnel; Kannan following along behind her. Zeb jumped up grabbing Jaymes’ arm and dragging him off his cot. I rolled off my cot into the small space between it and Gabriel’s.

“Briel,” I whispered to them, “Come on.” I pulled at their tunic sleeve. I leaned down and grabbed the heavy leather gloves from their backpack and tossed them on their lap. I pulled at their sleeve again. “Briel, come on. There’s a storm.”

Gabriel shook their head slightly and pushed me away. They jumped off the cot and ran with me after the others. I ducked down and slide into the tunnel. I managed to keep my feet under myself this time and not go face-first into the gravel lining the tunnel all the way down. The others were waiting for us along the rim of the aquifer pool. Samirah was sitting there with her feet dipped in the cold water. Kannan sat next to her; his hand resting on her shoulder keeping her calm. Zeb was waiting at the end of the tunnel, no doubt gaging the atmospheric conditions.

Thunder continued to rattle everything around us. There were fewer vibrations down this deep. All the rock that surrounded us dove deep underground. Jaymes was leaning against the cavern wall. His head back against the rock. I walked over to him. I could feel Gabriel following behind me.

“How long?” I asked my brother. He shrugged before answering.

“A few hours,” he said. “The storm isn’t at its strongest yet.” I heard Samirah groan. She was not thrilled by high winds or vibrating bolts of electricity. Kannan squeezed her shoulder. Jaymes caught my arm. Electricity seared through me as lightning struck the rocks above us. I felt Gabriel’s hand on my back. The electricity prickled at my skin. I could feel it tingling in my fingertips. Samirah whimpered as the thunder roared again. I pushed the electricity out and away. The currents shifting and changing outside.

Gabriel slipped past me and leaned back against the rocks. Jaymes pushed off the rocks and walked to Zeb. They both ventured up the tunnel a little, probably trying to gauge the power of the storm. I turned and leaned back against rocks. Gabriel sighed and slid into the gravel. They wrapped their arms around their legs. I let myself drop down into the gravel next to them. They gave me a sideways glance. I bumped my shoulder against theirs.

“Nash,” they said quietly, “what are you doing?”

“Sitting with you.” They rolled their eyes at me and shuffled slightly closer to me. I laid my head on their shoulder. I could feel their body tense slightly.

 The soft tapping of rain soon filled the cavern. Rain was such a rare event on Aten. Electrical storms happened almost every night somewhere on the planet. The soft tap became a dull roar as rain battered the outside. The wind continued to howl, whistling through the cracks in the rock.

Gabriel slipped their hand in mine. It startled me at first. Hand holding was a fairly new display of affection for them. I ran my thumb over the worn leather of their gloves. They pressed closer to me. Head turned towards me; their cheek against my forehead. Their long hair the only thing separating our skin.

I felt the electricity begin to build again. Thunder roared all around us, closer than before. Gabriel squeezed my hand as Samirah's screams echoed around us. Kannan wrapped his arms around her and held her to his chest. Zeb and my brother came sliding down the tunnel.

“The storm is getting stronger,” Zeb said. “The hot air rising off the desert is feeding it. This might last for a while.”

“A few hours at least,” Jaymes echoed again.

“That messes up our plans,” Samirah said with a shaky voice. “If we don’t meet with Roz then we'll lose all those supplies.”

“We won’t even make it to the pass in this storm,” said Kannan quietly.

Gabriel squeezed my hand again. “I can go,” they said. All eyes seemed to turn them.

“I'll go with,” I said sitting up straight. Gabriel glanced back at me, giving me a confused look. I put my hand on their shoulder and pushed myself to my feet. “Come on,” I said bumping my foot against Gabriel’s knee. “I know you love my company.”

Gabriel rolled their eyes but nodded. I ran up the tunnel, the gravel crunching and sliding beneath my feet. I jumped up into the cavern. The towel I had stuffed into the crack had been blown out. Water pooled in places along the ground. There was a steady drip from a crack in the ceiling. I grabbed my bag from under my cot.

I glanced over my shoulder as something bright caught my eye. The glint of low light off of blond hair. Gabriel had followed me up. They grabbed their backpack and turned to me. They opened their mouth as if to say something. They bit their lip and turned back away. I held back a laugh as I set my bag down on my cot. I dug out my canvas jacket and tossed it down on the cot. I found my raincoat folded up on the bottom. I set it by my jacket and tossed my bag back under my cot. I grabbed my boots and slipped them on my feet.

I looked over at Gabriel. They were twisting their hair up into a loose braid. I liked it when they braided their hair. I turned back to lacing up my boots. I slipped my jacket on and zipped the front. I grabbed the raincoat and stood up. I looked back over at Gabriel. They were pulling their boots on. They had on that old worn leather jacket that I had gotten them all those years ago at the market in Astrid when we met. The jacket probably should have been replaced years ago, but Gabriel rarely took it off long enough for anyone to take it away from them.

“Are you ready?” I asked when they looked up at me. They nodded and grabbed their raincoat. I walked back to the tunnel. I slid down, only tripping slightly once on my way. Zeb and Jaymes were waiting for us. Jaymes held out a satchel to me. I slipped it over my shoulder. Zeb handed Gabriel a small datapad.

There was a small passage at the back of this cavern. You could barely call it a tunnel. It was barely big enough for a person to pass through. I could easily walk through it, but someone with much boarder shoulders like Zeb had to walk sideways through it. I caught Gabriel’s sleeve and pulled them along after me. The passage ended a few meters away under a rock shelf. From the outside, the opening just looked like a crack in the rocks. A little jog in the passage prevents anyone, or anything, from seeing that there is something beyond.

Gabriel and I stood there, the charcoal grey slate stone crunching under our boots. There wasn’t much of a view from here. Just an opposing rock face. Rain continued to pound around us. The wind howled leaving a chill in the air that rarely happened when the sol was above the horizon. Sheets of water poured off the rocks around us. I unfolded my raincoat and slipped it on. I reached into the satchel and pulled out the scarfs. I passed one to Gabriel and wrapped the other around my neck. I pulled it up over my mouth and nose. Gabriel did the same.

Gabriel held out their hand to me. I took a deep breath and laced my fingers through theirs. The air around us swirled, wrapping around and holding us. Power wrapped around us. I could feel the electricity but I could not grasp it. It wasn’t anything that I could control. I felt everything being to unravel; my body breaking at every point. There was a searing pain as the power wrapped through me. The pain never lasted. We quickly faded from reality. Where we went, only Aisling knew. The power began to unravel itself from us. We were slammed back into reality.

Here’s the part where I sometimes pass out. I found myself gasping for air; struggling to keep my eyes open. Gabriel’s arms wrapped around me keeping me upright. I took a deep ragged breath as my lungs decided to finally shake the effects of teleportation.

“It’s okay, Nat,” Gabriel said softly. Their fingers drawing patterns on my back. I took another deep breath and stood up on my own; their arms still around.

“You know you can let go of me now,” I responded.

They looked me right in the eyes and said, “but I like your company.”

I tried to hold back a laugh. They squeezed me slightly before letting me go. “Good thing you are stuck with me for the next few passes.”

“Yeeeaaah.” There was much sarcasm in that reply.

I turned around. We were in a small cave about five klicks away from our base. Teleporting was really the only way to get here untraced. There was a large stone covering the entrance to the cave. It once was located above us on the mountainside but had been ripped from its place in a large electrical storm several years ago. In the corner of the cave was our terrain trekker. It was old and beat up but could outrun any of the new trekkers out there. Zeb had bought it off of a junker in Hallen for only a few credits. Zeb rebuilt it over a few weeks and for some stupid reason let me drive it.

I walked over to the trekker and grabbed the two pairs of goggles off the handlebars. I tossed one pair to Gabriel. I pulled the other pair over my head and down over my eyes. I made sure that they sealed over the scarf on my face. No one wants to inhale sand. I looked back at Gabriel. They had pulled their goggles on and had pulled the hood of their raincoat up and cinched it down.

I pulled my hood up over my hair and cinched it close to my face. I held my hand out towards the trekker. I grasped at the electricity around us. It rested static in the sands at our feet, against the stone all around us, and deep within the planet. The trekker only needed a small jolt to start the motors. I grabbed a strand of electricity snaking through the sands and pulled it into the trekker. The quiet humming of the motor hissed through my ears.

I climbed up onto the trekker. I wrapped my hands around the handles, my fingers brushing along the accelerator and braking controls. Gabriel stepped aside as I compressed the accelerator control and the trekker lurched forward. I let it roll to the stone covering the cave opening. There was a low rumble as the stone slowly slide aside. I glanced back over my shoulder and watched Gabriel. Their eyes were closed as they concentrated on moving the stone.

The stone slides far enough that I could squeeze the trekker out. Rain pounded down against my raincoat as the trekker rolled out of the cave. Gabriel slipped out after me as the stone slide back into place. I held out my hand. Gabriel took my hand as they climbed up behind me. Their hands resting lightly on my hips. I compressed the accelerator control and we shot out across the wet sand; rain pounding down on us.

It was another six klicks to the small village at the mouth of the Sylvan Valley. Hael was one of the few dome less cities on Aten. It’s location between the two ranges of the north Fallan Mountains protected its citizens from the intense heat and winds of the desert. There wasn’t much in Hael. It was mostly a supply outpost for anyone mindless enough to live in or cross the desert. There was a ship hanger that many officials used to store their space fairing ships for long periods. There was the solar train. Hael is one of two stops on the line between Hallen and Astrid. Unless you had your own ship or transport, the solar train was the only way to cross Aten.

The rain pounded against us as we flew over the wet sands. The flats between the ranges were unforgiving. The winds blew straight from one side of the planet to the other through here. The winds battered against our right sides. Gabriel’s arms snaked tighter around my waist as the winds rocked the trekker. Lightning struck within a klick of us. I could feel the electricity surge around us. I could feel the storm grow even stronger.

I don’t like this, Gabriel’s voice echoes through my mind.

What? The rain, storm, or my driving?  I asked, pushing the thought into their mind.

Yes, they replied. A snort escaped from me. The storm is getting stronger, they replied. And we are out in the open.

You’re welcome to teleport us to Hael. I could almost hear them roll their eyes at me.

Yes, with my luck we’ll just pop up next to a Saeris.

I snorted again. That would be very much our luck. I squeezed the accelerator a little more. The trekker whined slightly as we gained speed. Lightning streak across the dark sky above us. Even though the sol was above the horizon, it grew darker. This storm was becoming more and more unusual.

Briel? I asked pushing my thoughts to them again. Do you think that a Saeris is strengthening the storm?

I felt them shrug against me. It’s possible. They have been targeting more of the rebel cells recently. Though mainly in the domes. But it could just also be a storm.

It doesn’t feel like a normal storm. I could feel electricity snaking through the clouds now. Even down here, I could feel it tingling against my fingertips. Almost as if someone was asking me to take it.

How so?

Its power is building up. Jaymes and Zeb said it would get stronger. It has gotten much stronger. I’ve never felt a storm like this. It’s stronger than even the electrical storms during the dry seasons.

Stay alert, was all they said.

I focused my attention on driving the trekker. As we neared Hael the path became rockier and harder to navigate through. If you hit a rock at the wrong angle you would be sent flying. If I put a scratch on this already banged up trekker, Zeb wouldn’t let me hear the end of it. I carefully drove us through the rocks. Gabriel squeezed at my hips as I made several sharp turns around the rocks.

I could see a low glow on the near horizon. The lights of Hael filtered through the rain and clouds. The Fallen Mountains rose high around Hael. Jagged rock points and shear edges were dark against the now blackening storm clouds. There was a tinge of green in the clouds. Lightning illuminating the peaks and ravines of the mountains. The rain continued to pound down on us. As I drove, I could see the little river trails that the rain had left in the sands.

The path into Hael was rough from the rain washout. I could make out tracks from another transport that had passed along before us. We passed under the first security light as we entered into Hael’s territory. There were a few rock residential structures out this far from the city. Light glowed from their small windows. I saw a small herd of dromedaries alongside one of the buildings. Those fauna were one of the few that could still survive out here in the deserts.

We rolled into the edge of the city. Hael wasn’t walled, but many of the buildings did line the outer edge of the city serving as a windbreak for what wind did reach the city. We passed between two buildings; a tavern and a repair shop. Hael was buzzing even in the storm. People were everywhere running from one shop to another. I let the trekker roll up alongside another newer trekker and let the engine die. We would leave the trekker here and go into the city on foot. I popped up the display panel and reached in. I plucked the green wire out. Without that wire, the circuit wasn’t complete, and the trekker would not start; no matter how much electricity I push into it.

Gabriel slid off the trekker. They held their hand out to me. I gripped their hand, the heavy leather of their gloves soaked from the rain. I slid off the trekker and stood next to Gabriel. They were surveying the ever-changing crowd running around us. I reached up and pulled my goggles from my face. I let them hang around my neck. Gabriel did the same.

“I don’t sense any Saeris,” Gabriel said quietly. “I highly doubt that they aren’t here.”

“Yeah,” I said nodding. “We have to be careful as always.” I watch Gabriel as they loosened their hood slightly. They looked over at me and nodded back. We stepped into the crowd. There was a large group moving towards the tavern that we slipped through. Gabriel caught my hand and guided me through the group of large and burly men. I could feel their eyes on us as Gabriel pulled us along.

We made our way towards the center of Hael. The paths were muddy. Rocks appeared in the path as the rain had washed the sands and dirt away. Mud was splashed up to my knees. Gabriel kept ahold of my hand as we walked.

“Are you afraid you’re going to lose me?” I asked squeezing their hand.

“Knowing you, yes,” they replied. They looked over their shoulder at me and smirked. I couldn’t help but smile at them. They squeezed my hand as we continued. A trekker sped past splashing mud across our legs. I heard Gabriel sigh.

The rain began to lighten. Lightning still flashed across the dark clouds; the thunder echoing off the mountains and rocks in the distance. I looked up at the buildings as we walked. Lights shined through the small windows. In a few, I could make out figures inside. Most of the ground level units were shops and stores and above were residential. It was still early in the morning, only a pass or two after sol rise. Shops were beginning to open as the foot traffic outside began to pick up.

Gabriel pulled us off the main path and into a passageway between buildings. They grabbed my arm and pushed me back into the shadows. They pressed close to me standing along the edge of the shadow. I knew better than to ask.

In front of us, passing by on the pathway was two Saeris. They had the dark grey uniform of the Saeris military. Pulse weapons holstered at their sides. Gabriel squeezed my hand. I held my breath as the Saeris disappeared. I looked over at Gabriel. They bit at their lip as we waited for enough distance.

Gabriel squeezed my hand and we slipped out of the passageway. I looked over my shoulder as we started back up the pathway. The Saeris were gone from sight. Several others like us had ducked into the surrounding passageways when the Saeris came through. I hastened my pace so that I was walking side by side with Gabriel.

A tall and skinny Zahren walked past us. “That’s the Saeris guards,” they said to their equally tall and skinny friend walking alongside them. “They’ve been walking the city for weeks now.”

I glanced over at Gabriel. Guards? I thought to them. Are Saeris stationed here?

They gave a very slight shrug. If there are, which it seems, we might be in trouble. Hael isn’t that big. If they have been here for weeks, then they know the locals.

We need to lay low then.

Gabriel nodded. I pressed close to them as a large group of Zahren passed close to us from the opposite direction. Thunder rumbled, echoing off the rock faces around us. The center of the storm had moved away from us. The rain lightened even more, but the storm still raged out in the desert.

We walked a little farther up the pathway. There was a little store on our left. It looked like a regular grocery and supply store from all angles. Even inside. They sold all sorts of foods and supplies, but also smuggled goods and information. Gabriel and I carefully moved our way through the growing crowd and to the door.

The doors slid open with a whoosh. A blast of cold air hit my face. I reached up and pulled my hood back. Gabriel looked at me and I nodded. I grabbed a mesh bag from the bin by the doors and started through the aisles. Gabriel trailed along behind me.

The shelves were well-stocked. This was slightly usual for Hael. Colorful packages of food and treats filled the shelves. I knew what we needed, but I hoped I could squeeze a package or two of treats in. I grabbed a few cartons of oats and dropped them into the bag. Twenty credits. Gabriel handed me a couple of small jars of spices. I dropped a few boxes of powdered goods into the bag. Forty credits.

I walked past the rest of the sweet foods and went to the staples. Gabriel helped me grab two packages of flours. Sixty credits. Samirah would be happy. The last run they were out. The bag was starting to get heavy. Gabriel wandered off through the aisles and returned with a glide cart. I put the big packages and boxes of things into the cart.

“Did Sam say what kinds of cans she wanted?” I asked Gabriel as we walked through the staple shelves.

“She said something about…vegetables?”

I laughed quietly. “But what kind?” They shrugged. “What kind do you want?” They looked up at me with a confused look on their face. “Briel chose what you want.” I pushed them towards the shelves with canned goods. They hesitantly walked over. I followed behind them with the glide cart. They slipped their gloves off and ran their fingers along the labels under the cans. As I followed along, I grabbed a few cans of what I could recognize. Seventy-five credits.

I looked at the labels. The characters were foreign to me. The curved characters were only designs to me. It was Basic, the language I could speak but not read. Most of the products sold on Aten had a picture to describe what the product was. I relied on those pictures and those that could read to guide me.

Gabriel set some cans down into the cart. One hundred twenty-five credits. “What do you want?” Gabriel asked me. I looked at what they had set in the cart. Lots of green things that I love. I looked over at the shelves. There were some cans with colorful designs. I grabbed one. It showed a picture of a round reddish and green fruit. I have never seen it before.

“What is this?” I asked Gabriel.

“It’s mango.”

“What’s that?”

They rolled their eyes at me. “It’s a fruit. Tastes kind of like a peach.”

“Oh,” I said looking at the can. It was fifteen credits instead of the five that most of the other cans were. Gabriel took it from me and set it in the cart. “Briel, that’s expensive.”

“Nat, it will be fine.”

One hundred forty credits. I set my hand on the cart and pulled it along to the next line of shelves. Starches. I grabbed a medium-sized bag of potatoes and set them in the cart. One hundred eighty credits. Gabriel tossed a bag of rice in. Two hundred credits. This was getting expensive. But everything was needed. It had been weeks since we had been able to grab any sort of supplies. Gabriel set another bag of some sort of grain in. It looked like the grains that Kannan liked but could rarely find. Two hundred twenty-five credits.

I pulled the glide card away from the shelves and walked across the store. We have a reliable water source with the aquifer, but it was always good to have extra water. I looked at the lines of bottles. Some bottles were large and others were small. I was looking for a specific symbol. A little lightning bolt. Gabriel came and stood at my side. They held their hand out and pointed at one of the larger bottles.

“This one has electrolytes,” they said softly. “I don’t see the one that you like.” I groaned slightly. I grabbed two bottles of the one Gabriel pointed out. They grabbed one bottle of another. Two hundred seventy-five credits.

“Anything else?” Gabriel asked looking over at me.

“Not that I can think of.”

They nodded. We walked to the counter back by the main doors. The glide cart following along behind us. I set my bag on the counter and pushed the cart to the end of the counter. The clerk sitting behind the counter, a young Zahren with green and brown eyes, eyed me for a second but started to scan the items.

Gabriel’s hand brushed against my shoulder. I nodded and they disappeared to the back of the store. Hopefully, their errand would go well. I turned my attention back to the clerk. They hurried through scanning the items. I watched the total rise on the screen. I clenched my jaw each time it went up.

“Two hundred seventy-five credits,” the clerk said. I felt a little pride in having kept an accurate running total. I slipped open my satchel and pulled out the coin purse. I counted out five fifty credit bars, two ten bars, and a five bar. I set them on the counter for the clerk. They took the credits and waved me ahead. The glide cart slide down to the opposite end of the counter. I pulled several cloth bags from my satchel and began bagging our purchases.

Gabriel reappeared; a bag slung over their shoulder. They helped me finish bagging the items and setting them back into the glide cart. Gabriel kneeled and tapped at the glide carts control panel. A light flashed on their wrist gauntlet. I set a twenty-credit bar on the counter. The fee for taking the glide cart out of the store. We slipped from the store, the glide cart hovering along in front of us.

The heat was slowly building as the storm moved away. The electricity the storm was creating was stronger than ever.

How’d it go? I thought to Gabriel.

Perfect, they replied. All the files Kannan requested. Even the new mandate from Janus for Hael.

This was a great success then.

Gabriel gave me a slight nod and slipped their arm around my waist. There’s Saeris near. I pressed a little closer to them. The two Saeris from earlier were more Saeris interaction than I wanted. Gabriel’s hand cupped my hip, pulling me closer to them. The glide cart hovering along in front of us.

We walked down the muddy paths back towards the trekker. The rain now was only a fine mist as we walked. Mud still splattered everywhere with every step and vehicle passing by. I could feel the mud soaking through my trousers. It seeped into my boots. I could feel the cold and wet slime between my toes.

Gabriel pulled me closer as a group passed close to us. Their hand gripping my hip and pulling me aside as a young man pushed through the crowd. His shaggy sol bleached blond hair was matted to his forehead from the rain. He pushed through the crowd, pushing people out of his way. As he passed us, he threw his gaze back over his shoulder. His light blue and bright green eyes met mine before turning back forward. His boots slapped against the mud; splashing all over. He took off down the path. There was a shout from behind us. The loud hum of an untuned trekker zoomed closer. The crowd dispersing to clear the path. The trekker hummed past us. Two Saeris behind the controls.

One of the people in the crowd cursed. The crowd began to disperse. I watched as the trekker disappeared around the bend in the path. Gabriel pulled me along. My heart decided now was the time to race. Gabriel caught my hand and squeezed. Their arm wrapped around my shoulder. I felt a little calmer. My heart still beating fast.

“It’s okay,” Gabriel said softly. I leaned against them as we walked. We neared the intersection with the tavern and repair shop were located. The Saeris trekker that had passed us was sitting abandoned in the middle of the path, engine still humming. The crowds just moved aside and hurried around it.

Gabriel reached out and caught the edge of the glide cart. We made our way through the crowd towards our trekker. I slipped the green wire from my pocket. While Gabriel brought the glide cart over, I worked on reattaching the wire. I popped the display panel up and hooked the wire back in. My hands were shaky. I grabbed at the electricity around us and forced it into the trekker. The engine purred.

I pulled the seat pad cover-up and began helping Gabriel load our goods. I opened the rear cargo bin and began loading the larger items. Gabriel caught my hands as I reached for the sacks of flour.

“Slow down,” they said. “You’re shaking. Just breathe.” They held my hands as I took a few deep breaths. “Take it slow. Don’t attract any more attention than necessary.” They looked me in the eyes. “I know you can handle this, Nat.” I nodded. Gabriel let go of my hands and went back to loading the trekker. We slowly and methodically loaded the remaining goods. My hands continued to shake.

Gabriel handed me the last can. I set it under the seat and pushed the seat pad back down. Gabriel had kneeled and was tapping away on the glide cart’s control panel. They pressed a button on their gauntlet and the glide cart turned and hoovered away, back to the store it floated.

What do we do now? I asked. Gabriel looked back towards the range where we started. The storm had moved away from here but seemed to be slowly moving over the mountains. Lightning still flashed and thunder rumbled. It had grown even stronger.

Head to the mountains? Gabriel said. We can’t stay around here. I can sense more Saeris.

I nodded. I didn’t know this part of the mountain range well. I had only ventured out into the passes a few times. I started to form a though to send to Gabriel, but I was suddenly knocked into. I saw Gabriel start to reach for me. A hand, a bare hand, slipped into mine. A cold metal piece was dropped into my palm. Gabriel caught my arm. I stood back up straight and looked at the young man walking away from us. He looked back over his shoulder at us. His light blue and green eyes seemed to see right through me.

I watched him disappear into the crowd as shouts rang out. My fingers wrapped tight about the cold metal in my palm. I pressed close to Gabriel. I could feel their heart beating fast. I slipped my hand into their pocket and let the metal piece drop.

He passed me something, I thought to Gabriel. They gave a slight nod. Movement over their shoulder caught my attention. My heart began racing as I watched a Saeris survey the crowd. Gabriel grabbed my hands. Glowing hazel eyes met my gaze. The Saeris raised their hand and pointed their index finger at me.

“Her!” The Saeris yelled. “Grab her!”

Gabriel had already moved. They dove alongside me towards the trekker. Their arm wrapped around my waist pulling me down with them. I was slung over the back of the trekker. My arms wrapped around Gabriel’s waist as the trekker lurched forward. I hugged Gabriel as they maneuvered the trekker through the crowd with ease. I could hear shouts and whining of engines behind us. Mud splashed all around us as Gabriel drove. People dived out of our way yelling curses as they slide through the mud.

Give us some cover, Gabriel’s voice echoed through my mind. I loosened my grip on them slightly and looked around. There was a row of glide carts outside of a shop. I stretched my arm out. I took a deep breath. I could almost feel the metal of the glide carts. I drew my hand into a fist. The glide carts jerked and clattered together. I flung my arm back behind us. The glide carts flew from their charging pads and through the air. Two trekkers rounded the bend behind us. The glide carts slamming right into them.

One trekker slid sideways trying to avoid the carts. One of its riders fell off the back. The other trekker crashed into the carts. The sound of crunching metal scratched in my ears. The Saeris driving cursed loudly. The other trekker, spinning in the mud, started after us again.

“Shit,” I hissed. I leaned back against Gabriel, looking over their shoulders for more objects to throw.

Phase us, Gabriel yelled. I let go of their waist and splayed my hand on the side of the trekker.

Make it fast! I replied as I took a deep breath. The air rushed through us. Several people did as well. Gabriel jerked the controls to our right and we barreled through a building. Glimpses of objects and people’s lives rushed by. I could feel each object that we passed through. They were cold. We exited the building but kept going across the road and through another building. I squeezed at Gabriel’s side as my lungs began to burn. We slide from the building and onto the road. We were now two roads over from where we began. I gasped for air. My lungs screamed at me.

You did great, Gabriel said.

I wrapped my arms back around their waist. I laid my head on their shoulder and closed my eyes. I felt electricity prick at my fingertips. I reached out. Lines ran through the buildings around us, but there were trunks running under us.

We were nearing the far end of the town. Soon we would have to flee into the mountain range. I grabbed some of the electricity around us and pushed it into the trekker. Gabriel carefully let the trekker gain speed. We swerved around the last bend and flew out deep into the Sylvan Valley. Pillars and walls of rock rose alongside us. Rivers of mud and sand snaked across the landscape. Gabriel pushed the trekker faster.

There was a faint whine in the wind. It grew louder and louder. We continued to cover ground, but it kept up. Gabriel glanced over their shoulder. The whine was almost unmistakable now. It was a starship. I dared a glance over my shoulder. Two starships hovered above Hael and were rushing towards us fast.

Hold on, Gabriel said. I wrapped my arms tight around their waist. We drove off the path and into the rocks. I squeezed my eyes shut. The sound of rock clinking against the trekker made my heart hurt. If we survived this, Zeb was going to kill us for scratching his trekker. We bumped along through the rocks. There was a pseudo path through the large formations. The whine from the starships echoed through the rocks now. My heart was pounding in my chest.

Gabriel jerked us to the left and deeper into the rock formations. I glanced over my shoulder. I saw one of the starships disappear behind the ridge. It was a fighter. That ship has guns and they will probably use them on us. Gabriel reached back and caught my hand. They laced their fingers through mine.

Phase us through this slab. There’s a path on the other side.

I didn’t question how they knew that; I just squeezed their hand in response. I threw another glance over my shoulder. Both fighters were visible now. There was another speck on the horizon moving fast. Dread filled me. Gabriel squeezed my hand. I took a deep breath and let my power flow through us. Phasing through solid and dense objects was the hardest. We dove straight into the rock. Darkness was all there was. My lungs were already screaming. Gabriel held onto my hand.

We flew back into the light. I gasped for air as we bounced along. The path was uneven but seemed to be well-traveled. I pressed my head to Gabriel’s shoulder. I took deep breaths trying to quench the burning in my lungs.

The scream of starship engines filled our ears. They had found us. Gabriel glanced over their shoulder. The fighters were so close now. The speck now visible not far behind the fighters. It was a third starship. Not a single pilot fighter though.

Nat, there’s a cavern ahead, Gabriel said, Take the controls.

I took another deep breath. My lungs still burning. I reached forward and grabbed the handlebars. I felt grains of sand pass through me. I pulled myself forward through Gabriel as they pushed themself backward. Their knees hugging at my hips. I felt the wind shift around us. The sand and rock shards billowed up in clouds around us. I glanced back at Gabriel. Their arms were outstretched. The wind was their doing. They were stirring up the sands to mask us and disrupt the fighters’ scanners.

I pushed the trekker faster. The rock face ahead became prominent. I prayed this was were Gabriel wanted me to go. Gabriel thrust their hands out over my shoulders. The rock slab in front of us broke apart; slabs of stone hovering in the air. I could hear the fighters’ weapons charging. The electricity building.

It fired.

I could feel Gabriel’s body against mine. Their arms wrapping around my torso. An explosion expelled behind us. Pieces of the fighters began to rain down upon us. 

 I grabbed the electricity escaping into the ground and pushed it into the trekker. We flew through the opening that had been created. As soon as we cleared the opening, we were plunged into darkness as the rocks fell back into place. I depressed the brakes and we slid across the loose rocks in the darkness.

Gabriel’s hands slowly unsnaked from around me, resting on my shoulders.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Yeah,” they replied. Their fingers squeezed at my shoulders.

“It’s dark.”

They laughed slightly. And like that light flared in this little makeshift cave, as if the sol was inside with us. I looked around. There was no source of light. It was just there. I slid off the trekker. The loose rocks crunched under my boots. Dust floated through the air.

“Did you do this?” I asked gesturing around at the light.

“You obviously didn’t.”

“I didn’t know you could do something like this.”

“Reality distortion,” they said slipping off the trekker. More dust stirred as their feet hit the ground. Their tone suggested that they didn’t want me to ask about that power; a power I didn’t know they had.

“What happened?” I asked.

“The third ship,” Gabriel said walking over to me. “It fired on the Saeris fighters.”

“Why would it do-” I was cut off by the crunching of rocks.

We starred as the cave opened back up. The rocks broke back apart and floated into the air. I clenched my fists and let my muscles loosen. Gabriel stepped back so they were standing just behind me. The light inside vanished.

“Your Saeris friends are gone,” a rather high-pitched feminine voice came. “You both can relax.” The rocks hovered in the air. A figure appeared. The light from the outside illuminated their silhouette.

My eyes adjusted to the backlight on the figure. She only stood to my shoulders if that. Her long red hair hung in curls around her shoulders. She was very pale for being on a desert planet. Freckles dusted across her face. She was very pretty. Her right eye was a deep blue color with central heterochromia of green. She was a Zahren. She crossed her arms over her chest. I glanced back at Gabriel. They shrugged.

“What do you want?” I asked. I hoped my voice wasn’t wavering.

Her eyes roamed over me. That piercing combination of blue and green along with her solid grey sent chills down my spine. I felt that she could see right through me; learning everything about me. She stood straight up, her posture like that of one of the Saeris Lieutenants as they commanded their soldiers.

“Word is you are rebels,” she said. “My sister and I are searching for someone. We think you might know them.”

“Not all rebel cells are connected,” Gabriel said. The Zahren’s eyes flashed to them.

“I know, but you two are the most promising.” She dropped her arms to her sides and took a few steps towards us. “Everyone else we have tracked has been caught by the Saeris. You two fought them and escaped.”

“Who are you looking for?” I asked. I felt Gabriel’s hand slide to the small of my back.

There was a slight smirk on her lips. “Really tall man probably around your age. Dark skin and dark hair. Blue and brown eyes. Has this swirl tattoo on his left arm. Goes by the surname Zeke.”

Kannan? Gabriel asked me.

Sounds like Kannan.

“How do you know him?” Gabriel asked.

Her eyes glanced over us before she answered. “He saved my sister and I’s life. We were due to be executed on Oberon and he helped us escape into space. We thought that we were free, but the Saeris know we are alive. We have nowhere to go and no one to turn to now.”

Gabriel’s fingers dug into my jacket. She’s telling the truth.

What do we do?

I don’t know.

“I know a telepathic conversation when I see one,” she said. “What have you decided? What can we do to convince you to help us? We came to fucking Aten of all places. We are desperate.”

“She has a point,” Gabriel said. “Why would anyone willingly come to Aten for help?” I nodded in response. “What’s your name?” Gabriel asked her.

“Addilyn Remmington,” she replied. “I’m from Oberon.”

“I’m sorry you had to come to my dying homeworld,” I said. “I’m Nash Vega.” I looked back over my shoulder at Gabriel. Their eyes flickered away briefly.

“Gabriel Vaughn,” they said rather quietly. “If you can take us to our compound then we will try to help you.”

Addilyn nodded. “Thank you.” She turned slightly back towards the opening of the cavern. She glanced at us before disappearing back out into the light. Gabriel slipped their hand in mine. We walked after Addilyn.

Addilyn was standing out in the middle of the pass. There was a starship hoovering out in the distance. She tapped away on her wrist gauntlet. The starship dipped down into the pass and flew towards us. It was a sleek black foreign model starship. I had never seen one like it before. It was smaller than the freights that the Saeris use, but bigger than their fighters. It was still a small enough starship to be very maneuverable through the air.

“That’s the Star Rift,” Addilyn said. “My sister is the pilot.”

The starship raced towards us. It slowed to a hover not far from us. I could feel the electric currents that it generated…but I could not touch any of it. The starship hovered closer to us. It rotated so that the rear cargo doors faced us. The cargo door slowly lowered. There was a figure standing there. They walked down the cargo ramp and held onto the lift bar. They were hidden in the shadows.

Addilyn ran up to the starship. The figure leaned out and caught her arm and pulled her up. They leaned far enough out of the shadows that I saw their shaggy sol bleached hair. The young man from Hael. The one that passed me the little piece of metal. Addilyn smiled at him. She spoke to him and then turned back to us. She opened her mouth to call us when her gauntlet beeped. There was a frantic string of words in a language I did not understand. Addilyn looked back at us. She waved us to her.

“There’s a Saeris craft on the radar!” she yelled. “Hurry!” She turned and ran deeper into the ship disappearing. The young man leaned out farther; his hand outstretched to us.

“Jump!” he yelled.

I looked over at Gabriel. They disappeared into the air. I crouched down and kicked off the ground. I jumped up into the air. The sound of a fighter filled my ears. The starship lurched away just as Gabriel reappeared, just barely missing the ramp. A bolt of energy shot through the air above us. The young man, slightly shocked, flung his arm out and caught Gabriel’s arm allowing them to catch their feet on the edge of the ramp. Gabriel turned back towards me. I caught their hand.

The air swirled around the three of us. Power sang at my skin. For the second time today, I was ripped from reality and thrown right back into it. We were sprawled on the ramp only about a meter away from where we originally were, but no longer in danger of falling back to the earth. The ship lurched again, and the ramp closed as we rose higher into the air.

I rolled over and clutched at my head. My mind was spinning. I felt Gabriel’s hands on my shoulders. My pain eased slightly. I was able to pull myself up slightly. The young man was lying on his side. He moaned and clutched at his stomach. Not everyone could handle Gabriel’s teleportation.

Electricity swirled and swelled all around me, but I still could not touch any of it. Gabriel helped me to my knees. They took my hands and helped me to my feet. I stumbled over to one of the crates sitting in the cargo hold and leaned against it. I took deep breaths as the starship made sharp movements. The pain in my lungs from phasing combined with the dizziness of teleportation was a little much for me. I looked back at Gabriel. They were kneeling next to the young man. He was moving more than he was a few ticks ago.

“I’m going to be sick,” he groaned. Gabriel helped him roll over onto his back.

“Just breathe,” Gabriel said quietly.

“Sloan!” Addilyn’s voice screeched. “I need you up here! Right now!”

The young man just groaned loudly in response. He held his arms above his head as he breathed deeply. I heard stomping and turned towards the corridor heading into the main section of the ship. Addilyn appeared in the corridor.

“What the hell?” she squeaked. “Jev Sloan! Get up off your ass and get up here and help me!”

The young man, Jev Sloan, rolled back onto his side. “Just a click, Addi,” he muttered. Addilyn groaned and looked at Gabriel and me.

“I need you two up here.” She turned and disappeared back down the corridor. I looked at Gabriel. They shrugged. I pushed off the crate and wobbled after her. Gabriel fell into step next to me. We walked up the corridor towards the sound of a soft voice cursing.

I let my hand trail along the corridor walls. The ship was phenomenal. I could feel the electricity and energy flowing all around me, but I couldn’t touch it; the electricity was being harnessed by another. They were in complete control of the ship. This was a first for me. I had always been able to touch the electricity around me.

I slipped through the open hatch to the cockpit; Gabriel right behind me. The starship banked hard to the left. I lost my balance. Gabriel’s arm slipped around my waist. They held onto the closest control panel as we banked. The starship leveled back at.

Addilyn turned around at the console closest to the pilot’s controls. “I need someone of weapons!” She pointed at the console to the left of hers. Gabriel grabbed my arm and pulled me over. They slipped into the seat. I held onto the back of the seat while I watched their hands dance over the controls.

“Sorry it’s all in Dyaa,” Addilyn said. “Then buttons within the red square are-“

Gabriel cut her off, “I understand Dyaa.” Their fingers tapped several buttons. The display panel lit up. A targeting system opened; a single dot blinked in the range. A red ring flashed around it. The ship banked hard again. I nearly went flying.

“Strap in!” Addilyn yelled. Her hand gestured behind me. I looked over my shoulder. There was a row of jump seats along the bulkhead wall. I pushed off Gabriel’s chair and let myself fall back to the bulkhead as the ship leveled out again. I slipped into the seat and pulled the straps over my chest and secured myself.

“She in?” a soft voice asked. It came from the pilot’s console. I noticed the silvery hair peeking up over the top of their seat. “Where’s Jev?”

“Here,” a very groggy voice muttered. The young man, Jev, was stepping through the hatch; his boots clanging against the metal of the bulkhead.

“Rolling,” the pilot said. Jev crouched down and leaned opposite to the way the ship banked. His boots were mag boots. The ship shuttered as we jerked vertical. We kept climbing. The sol was breaking through the clouds now. The ship ever so slightly began to tilt, the top of the hull beginning to face down to the desert.

“Now!” Gabriel yelled. The ship jerked as we started to dive towards the ground. Upside down of course. I heard the weapons hum. Electricity all around me, teasing and taunting me. Untouchable. The weapons discharged.

“Hit,” Addilyn yelled. “Clipped their wing but they are deviating from our course and backing off.”

The ship leveled out. I could feel us climbing higher and higher. The ship shuttered as we cleared the cloud layer. We leveled out above the clouds. I could make out graphs and other displays embedded in the windscreen. A bright orange dot flare to life at the top of the windscreen. Jev stood up. His boots demagnetizing. The person sitting in the pilot’s seat finally became visible as she stood up and turned to face us.

She was taller and much younger than I expected. Her skin was dark, and her silvery-white hair hung around her face falling to her shoulders. Intricate braids framed her face.  And her eyes; they were a bright violet. She was beautiful.

“She’s Dyane.” I couldn’t stop myself. The words flew out of my mouth.

“Yes,” she said. “I am Dyane. You are Zahren. I am glad we have established the obvious.” I noticed two tiny points behind her lips. There were rumors that Dyane had fangs.

Addilyn clamped her hand over her mouth as she laughed. “Aubrey, this is Gabriel Vaughn and Nash Vega.” She looked back at us. “This is my sister, Aubrey Zahn.”

“You are one hell of a pilot,” I told her. The few times I’ve flown were nothing compared to just now.

She shrugged. “I am Dyane. It is kind of what we do.” She walked over to Addilyn’s console. She held her hand up over the console. Something happened that I had never seen before. A hologram. The display was now projected three-dimensionally above the console. “Systems are good. Everything looks good.” She glanced over at Jev. “Except for you. What happened?”

Jev shrugged. “I was thrown through another dimension.”

Aubrey looked over at Gabriel. They shrugged. “I guess the probability of passing through another dimension while teleporting isn’t zero.”

Aubrey’s eyes widened. “Teleporting?” She sounded intrigued.

I unfastened my harness. Jev held out his hand to me. I took his hand and let him pull me up. I could feel rough scars on his palm against my skin.

“You can feel the electricity, can’t you?” he asked. I must have looked startled. “I was watching you; you reacted to the changes in the energy levels that the ship was outputting. You’re an electricity manipulator, aren’t you?” I nodded. He smiled and nodded back. “You two are interesting.”

“So?” Aubrey asked. “Where to? We need to cruise for a while to make sure our tail is clear, but that isn’t going to stop me from planning.” She waved her hand and the hologram from Addilyn’s console swung out into the room. It morphed into a map of Aten. A globe really. I recognized the Basic symbols, but their meanings were still lost to me. Gabriel slipped out of their chair and walked to the hologram. They raised their hand and waved slightly. The map moved, spinning. Gabriel kept moving their hand until the landscape looked familiar.

“Have you ever used a holo before?” Aubrey asked. “You seem to know how they work.”

Gabriel shook their head. “Not that I can remember.” They pointed to a location on the hologram. It was where we kept the trekker. “Here,” they said. “We’ll need to meet with our group first. There are places nearby that can hide this ship.” Aubrey nodded. The hologram flashed off. Aubrey turned and slipped back into her chair. She tapped away at the console. The ship changed course slightly and remained above the dissipating clouds.