From last time:
“Everyone to their seats,” Zara commanded. She turned to Captain Voss, the co-pilot. “Go with the rest of the crew, I will take over.”
“Aye, ma’am,” Voss replied, before getting up to join the rest of the crew in the back of the ship. Zara took her seat next to the commander.
A light illuminated on the control panel in front of them. The commander told her what she already knew. “Ma’am, we have incoming fire.”
********
New Stuff:
The screen panel flicked to life, interrupting the briefing session. Every pair of eyes around the table turned toward the image of a young communications officer on the screen. “First minister, sirs, madams, I apologize for the interruption, but Kal El is needed in the command center immediately.”
“What is it?” Clark asked. “What’s happened?”
“I do not know, sir, the commander has only told me that it is urgent,” the young officer responded.
“Ching, let’s go. Everyone, we will reconvene later,” Clark said as he stood up.
The advisors did not move from their places as he and Ching made their way out of the conference room. Clark and Ching began to run as soon as they were in the hallway and quickly made their way to the command center. The commander was waiting alone for them. In silent understanding, Ching waited outside as the commander led Clark into the control room.
“What’s going on?” Clark demanded breathlessly.
“Sir, we have lost contact with the First Minister’s ship,” the commander responded gravely.
“What?” Clark asked. He felt his heart thunder in his chest as myriad terrible possibilities ran through his mind. “When did you lose them, where?”
“We have the coordinates here,” the commander said as he handed Clark a sheet of paper. “Last contact was twenty minutes ago.”
“Why did you wait to tell me?” Clark asked frantically.
“We had to ensure the problem was not a malfunction on our end, sir.”
“Is there anyone on the way out there now?” Clark demanded insistently.
“Aye, sir, we’re scrambling available planes now. Those coordinates are for a remote and isolated area, so we are mounting a massive response.”
“How soon can I leave?”
The commander looked at Clark, puzzled. “Sir, you cannot.”
“What do you mean? How soon before ships leave from here? I need to get out there.” Clark didn’t realize he was using the same tone he always used as Superman. Even without the powers, it was forceful and persuasive.
“I am sorry, sir, but safety protocol requires that if one of the First Ministers is endangered or incapacitated, the other should remain in a secure location until the crisis is resolved. You must stay within the colony.”
“That’s not acceptable!” Clark replied forcefully. He dragged an agitated hand through his hair. Ching. Clark realized that Ching was still waiting outside, unaware of what was happening. Clark exited the room and immediately found Ching waiting outside.
“They’ve lost contact with Zara’s ship,” Clark said gravely. All the color drained from Ching’s face. Ching swallowed several times before he managed to speak.
“I have to go,” Ching said hoarsely.
“They’re sending ships now,” Clark explained.
“I have to go,” Ching repeated.
“Ching, we need to…” Clark began
“I have to go,” Ching interrupted.
Clark could see the unadulterated terror and determination in the other man’s eyes. On one hand, he worried that Ching’s personal feelings would more than simply cloud his judgment; he was half crazed, and with good reason. On the other hand, Clark knew that if it were Lois, no force in heaven or hell would have kept him away. Ching was also Zara’s personal advisor and chief of her security detail, sending him in search of Zara would not bring undue attention. Clark merely nodded. “Take whatever and whomever you need.”
Ching’s attention was already elsewhere. Clark could tell that he was mentally planning his mission. Uncharacteristically, without waiting to be dismissed, Ching turned and rushed away.
“Bring her back,” Clark whispered.
********
The sound of incoming fire, scoring another direct hit against the ship, boomed in their ears. The ship rattled and shook as Zara’s pilot struggled to keep it balanced. Zara hurried to turn off a malfunctioning engine and divert power to the remaining, working engines.
“We’re losing altitude too quickly,” Rin said through gritted teeth.
“I’m going to rotate thrusters sixty degrees and maximize power,” Zara replied.
“Ma’am, I don’t think I can hold that,” Rin said warily.
Zara understood Rin’s concern. Such a drastic maneuver was their best hope to slow the ship’s descent, but it also made the craft significantly more difficult to control. “You can,” she said simply. “Ready?”
Rin nodded grimly. Her hands steady when she was certain they should have been shaking, Zara flipped a series of switches, her hands moving deftly over the instrument panel. The ship lurched and slowed before shaking its passengers violently from side to side.
“Brace yourselves,” Rin called to the rest of the crew as the ground approached them at too steep an angle. Zara stared silently at the ground, her jaw set. She tried to keep her mind clear. In the event that she survived the landing, she’d need to think quickly to get her crew safely out of this situation. But all she could think about was Ching. Having just rekindled her relationship with him, she was not ready for their time to be over. She was thankful, though, that even if she died, he would never have to wonder how she felt about him. If these were her last moments, she had no regrets.
She prepared the ship for landing and reversed the thrusters as the pilot struggled to control their descent. Zara tried to brace herself as the ship hit the ground, bouncing harshly and rattling the crew violently. She fought to maintain calm, when all she wanted to do was close her eyes, grit her teeth, and hope that it would all be over soon. Sparks flew in the main fuselage and the sound of tearing metal assaulted her ears. With one more jarring bounce the craft came to an abrupt halt. Despite her restraints, Zara found herself thrown painfully forward. She slammed back against the head restraint and there was nothing except black.
********
Ching sat in nervous agitation on board the ship. He tried to remain calm, but the waiting was driving him mad with fear. He tasted the bile rising in his throat and each breath was labored. The fear was threatening to render him catatonic, but he knew that he had to maintain some semblance of levelheadedness. He would be of no help to Zara if he could not keep his own nerves in check. He looked down and realized that he was gripping his weapon so tightly that his knuckles were bone white. They were still hours from the last known coordinates of Zara’s ship.
Ching hoped that she was all right, but knew that it was unlikely that she would come out of this unscathed. There had still been no word from her ship and no word from the other ships sent to locate it. He set his jaw grimly, trying not to contemplate the worst possible scenarios. He was not ready to let her go. He never would be, but especially not now. Ching was not prepared to let any force in the universe tear them apart. He was not about to lose her.
He was sworn to protect her and he was failing. He wasn’t with her when she needed him. Had he ever been? Had he ever been what she needed him to be?
He replayed in his mind the conversation he had had with Tek Ra, many years ago, just before he had been sent away from her. He’d stormed through the halls of Tek Ra’s home with uncharacteristic ire. Tek Ra, on the other hand had remained stoic and calm.
Throwing his bag over his shoulder and preparing to leave, Ching had exclaimed, “I am in love with her!”
“I do not doubt it,” Tek Ra replied patiently.
“Nothing will change that, you can send me to the furthest corner of this rock, and I will still love her.”
“And what does that mean? You and Zara both know that what you want you can never have. That too, will never change.” Tek Ra had placed a hand upon the younger man’s shoulder. “Ching, my young friend, I have watched you grow into a fine man. You bring honor to the houses of your father and your mother, and to mine as well. If circumstances were different, nothing would make me happier than to see my beloved daughter married to a man like you, but Zara is not free to make this choice.”
Ching had stepped away and looked downward. “And so I am supposed to simply let her go?”
“Yes,” Tek Ra had said simply. “I had to many years ago. She was just a child when I watched my daughter begin down a road she had to walk alone. I know that you love her, but neither your feelings for her, nor my own can ever come to stand in the way of her duties. We must learn to stand aside and let her do what she was born to do.”
He had let her go, or at least, he had tried. Now, he knew that he never could. If something had happened to her, New Krypton would be thrown into chaos, but all he could think about was the fact that losing her would kill him. It would hollow him out.
********
Zara was brought painfully back to consciousness. Her head throbbed and she felt nauseated. She moved slowly, trying to push through the thick cloud of pain and disorientation. She took a slow, deep breath and opened her eyes. The ship’s interior lights flickered, dimmed, and finally died. The control deck was a mangled mess. Rin sat slumped in his seat, his eyes closed, his head hanging to one side.
Zara fumbled to undo her restraints. With no small amount of difficulty, she stood from her seat, feeling a stabbing pain tear up her side. She placed a hand against her injured ribs. Limping from an aggravation of the knee injury she’d sustained during the attack on the colony months ago, she made her way to Rin’s side. He was breathing shallowly and with great difficulty.
“Status check,” she called out to the crew, wincing in pain as she did. “Who is injured?”
One of the two enlisted men, Sergeant Cor, carefully made his way toward her, a thick stream of blood trickling from his scalp down his face. Cor was a burly man with a weathered face that spoke of years of experience. He touched the wound on his head gingerly with a large hand. “No fatalities, ma’am,” he said. “But Ensign Rul has a broken arm, and Corporal Sen’s ankle is in bad shape. I’ve set it, but he can’t walk on it well.”
“And Captain Voss?” Zara asked.
“Cuts and bruises, ma’am, like me.”
“Commander Rin will need medical attention.” Zara looked at the unconscious pilot, his breaths coming in rasps. The landing hadn’t been graceful, but he’d doubtlessly saved the lives of the crew. “Get the weapons and bring a stretcher.”
“Aye, ma’am,” Cor replied.
Zara searched the cabin for supplies, moving as best she could despite the limp and the growing pain in her side. She found provisions and bandages as well as the ship’s portable transmitter.
Cor returned with the stretcher, Captain Voss following him in.
“How is he?” Voss inquired.
“I am not certain,” Zara replied as she made her way back to Rin’s side. “We need to have him immobilized and get him away from the ship.”
“We won’t have much luck contacting help,” Cor said as he helped her gently undo Rin’s restraints. “The ship’s main transmitter and radio are broken.”
“We lost transmission well before the crash, it is unclear whether a rescue party will be able to track us,” Voss added. They carefully transferred Rin to the stretcher.
Zara looked up at her two crew members as they secured Rin to the stretcher. “That may prove to be more of a blessing than a curse. While there are rescuers looking for us, those who were shooting at us are no doubt looking as well. We’ll bring the transmitter, but it is not safe to activate it now.”
Voss nodded in understanding. “What do you propose, ma’am?”
“We need to get away from the ship as quickly as possible. At this point it is far more likely that the first to find us will be enemies instead of friends.”
Voss and Cor took their places at the foot and the head of the stretcher. “Are you certain you’re both up to carrying the stretcher?” Zara asked.
“We’ll be fine, ma’am,” Voss replied as the two men gingerly lifted the stretcher. They carefully made their way through the twisted wreck of the ship out the exit. Corporal Sen and Rul followed, the young enlisted man leaning on the officer for support. The wind swirled around them as they stepped out into the unforgiving cold. Leaving the ship was less than ideal, but those who had shot them down doubtless knew who was in the craft. They wouldn’t leave anything to chance. Staying with the ship would have placed the entire crew in even greater danger.
********
“Good news, ma’am,” Jen Mai said with a slithering smile, his dark, beady eyes dancing with delight.
“What is it? Did you succeed?”
“We shot down the ship. Our scouts saw it descend somewhere in the mountains just north of the valley. It is only a matter of time before we find the wreckage.”
Rae Et frowned. “Well, let us not celebrate quite yet. I will consider the mission accomplished once we have verified that Zara is dead.”
Jen Mai’s smile died. He cleared his throat. “If I might inquire, ma’am, why did we target Zara instead of Kal El? Would it not be easier to have Nor replace Kal El?”
She shot her subordinate an icy stare. “Are you questioning my tactics?”
“Not at all,” Jen Mai stammered. “I simply…well, I feel I would be better able to serve you if I understood the proximate goals of the plan.”
Rae Et allowed herself a thin, feral smile, the look in her eyes still menacing. “Very well, Jen Mai. Your obsequiousness is quite pleasing. We are targeting Zara because although I do not believe my son has any interest in wedding Kal El…” Jen Mai snickered but composed himself quickly under Rae Et’s glare. “Our plan is not to have him simply slip into the role of First Minister. We have exploited the Council’s weak willed vacillations and hesitancy. We have no desire to head up such a petty and bureaucratic body. The only viable plan is the complete destruction of the Council system. It must be stripped of its power. The easiest way to do that is to have the Council turn upon itself. With Zara disposed of, the Council will fall immediately to fighting. Zara is the strong hand in the First Ministerial pair. It is only because of her that many of the Councilors assent to Kal El’s presence. Without her, he has no legitimacy.”
“Remove Zara, and the Council will destroy itself for us,” Jen Mai mused aloud.
“Precisely,” Rae Et replied.
********
“Sir, surveillance film suggests there is something on the ground ahead. It could possibly be the wreckage of the First Minister’s ship.”
Ching rose from his seat and approached the navigator. “Show me.”
The navigator pointed out the images that had been gathered. “Here, sir. The region is too mountainous to allow a landing, but we can safely deploy here.” The navigator pointed to a nearby spot. “It is a difficult hike, but can be covered in under an hour.”
“Very well. Chart a course, Captain and inform the other ships to continue surveying the area,” Ching ordered.
“Aye, sir.”
Ching looked over his shoulder at the twenty elite soldiers from the expeditionary forces seated in the main cabin. Heavily armed and anxious, just like their hundreds of compatriots in ships just like this one, they were prepared to do whatever it took to protect their First Minister. The ship began to descend. “Weapons at the ready, prepare to disembark,” Ching growled.
“Aye, sir,” their voices boomed in unison.
********
Clark paced uneasily in General Command. “Have we heard anything?” he asked for the umpteenth time.
“No, sir,” the young communications officer replied. “The first ships are just approaching the coordinates where we lost contact.”
The commander of the watch turned to Clark. “Sir, news of the deployment has spread. People, especially the Councilors, are going to begin asking questions.”
Clark realized the difficult position he was in. He’d once been on the other side of this line, part of the press, demanding that information be released from the smoky backrooms where decisions were made. But this was a matter of war, of life and death. Then again, the longer he withheld information, the more likely that he would lose people’s trust and confidence as an honest leader. “Confirm what’s happened. But do not give any information about the time or the location,” he ordered, wishing he was as certain as he managed to sound.
“Aye, sir,” the commander replied.
The door behind him opened and a guard entered. “Sirs, Tek Ra and Mieren are here.”
Clark nodded gravely. “Send them in.”
Zara’s parents appeared in the doorway a moment later. “What has happened,” Tek Ra demanded, the agony written clearly on his face as well as his wife’s. “Where is our daughter?”
Clark swallowed roughly. “General Command lost contact with the ship. A rescue mission is underway.”
“How could this happen?” Mieren asked, her voice tremulous.
“We don’t know,” Clark replied unhelpfully, wishing there was something useful or comforting he could say. “I’ve sent Ching, with the best forces on New Krypton, to find her.”
Mieren bit her lip and nodded. “Ching will find her,” she said softly.
“He will,” Tek Ra agreed.
“As soon as we hear anything, you will know,” Clark added. “Until then, if there’s anything I can do…”
“We appreciate your help, Kal El,” Tek Ra said. “And we know that you are doing all that is in your power to bring her safely back.”
********
“Steady,” Zara cautioned as they climbed through a particularly rocky and narrow pass. She stood beside Rin’s stretcher to hold it steady as Cor and Voss struggled to carry it while moving up the steep path.
Rin drew in a loud, ragged breath and turned toward Zara. Rin had come in and out of consciousness as they’d traveled. He wheezed as he tried to speak. “Leave me, ma’am,” he gasped. “I slow you down.”
“We will not leave anyone behind,” Zara replied.
********
“Move! Move! Move!” Ching commanded his soldiers as they rushed out of the ship into the darkened night. Following their training perfectly, they paired off and began sweeping the area around the landing site. Once satisfied that the area was safe, they fell back into formation and following Ching’s lead, headed toward the rugged hills ahead.
********
“Here,” Zara said breathlessly to her exhausted and haggard crew of five. She stopped and leaned against the rocks at the mouth of a cave. It was late and it was cold. The cave would provide shelter from the merciless wind. It was also a far more defensible position than any other around them. With only one opening, there was only one place from which they could be attacked. The cave had an elevated position that made it easier to defend and would force any attackers into a vulnerable position.
Cor and Voss wearily carried Rin’s stretcher into the cave and gently set it down. Rin had slipped back into unconsciousness. Sen, limping awkwardly on his ankle and Rul, still holding her injured arm immobile, followed. Zara watched as Cor did his best to tend to Rin’s injuries.
“How is he?” Zara asked.
Cor pulled a syringe from the medic’s pack and injected the medicine into Rin’s arm. “I’ve given him something for the pain, but his injuries are quite severe. Well beyond my ability to help him.”
“Keep him comfortable,” Zara replied. “We have to hope that he can hold on until help arrives. We’ll keep watch in shifts.”
********
The door to her office slid open and Jen Mai appeared again. “What is it?” she asked. “Have you found them?”
“Not yet, ma’am. But we have reason to believe that expeditionary forces have been sent in a rescue mission.”
Rae Et frowned. This situation had been foreseen and it could have proved a significant difficulty, but she was determined to turn it into an advantage. “Did you acquire those uniforms?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jen Mai replied.
“Tell your men it’s time to get dressed. Oh, and Jen Mai, how attached are you to the village of Breksin?”
********
