Saber and Science by Andy R. Bunch

Author:Andy R. Bunch [Bunch, Andy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General Fiction
Publisher: Andy R. Bunch
Published: 2015-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24: Coming To

Tenebra badlands –location unknown

16 Minutes after Impact

Jee’an rose to consciousness for the third time since the crash. Blackness enclosed her and she began to fear she’d lost her eyesight.

Gage groaned somewhere in the dark.

She could empathetically feel his pain. “You’re injured.”

Then she experienced one of the strangest sensations her empathy had ever brought her. The physical pain her companion felt was shoved back into some dark corner of his mind, and he began concentrating on something else.

Could humans just bottle up their physical pain to be dealt with at another time? If so, it might explain some of their fortitude. Though physically similar to Ddaerans, Jee’an found the tales of human survival amazing and until now beyond belief.

Jee’an had tried to remain open in her thoughts about the human invasion, but she became suddenly aware of what she’d tell her people if she lived long enough to return home. These humans were foolish enough to trash their own planet, but they had the fortitude to travel across the stars to find a new home. They were here to stay. They needed guidance from the Ddaeran in how to peacefully coexist, not bloodshed and war.

Another part of her argued back: but will these humans listen to wisdom from simple Ddaerans? Perhaps violence will lead to respect, and the resulting stalemate will lead to mutual desire for peace. And if the Ddaeran don’t fight back, will any of them exist in the future?

A light split the dark, sweeping Jee’an’s thoughts aside for the moment.

“I found my light beam,” said Gage. His voice still contained a trace of physical pain perhaps only detectable to a Ddaeran empath.

“Thank the gods,” replied Jee’an. “I thought I might have gone blind.”

“The other good news is that our sleeping compartment hasn’t lost its integrity.”

“How can you be sure of that?”

“Oh, if you’ve ever smelled fresh Tenebra air, you’d know we’re not letting any in.”

There was some noise as Gage tried to shift some of the wreckage. Jee’an felt a spike of his physical pain before he shoved it aside again. “The bad news is I’m sorta pinned.”

Jee’an began to clear the debris from around her enough to stand. She managed to get a space and get her feet under her, but she couldn’t stand. The roof of the compartment seemed to be shoved down, compressing the claustrophobic compartment even further than normal.

“Where are you?”

“Over here,” said Gage, waving the light source.

“Do you know what’s pinning you?”

“I was hoping you had a better perspective.”

Jee’an crawled on her hands and knees toward the light and felt around the large chunk of bulkhead that loomed in the way. Just above where it met the floor she touched Gage’s arm. It was moist, probably with blood, and it startled her.

“Oh my.”

“That bad,” asked Gage.

“I can’t tell. I mean, it just startled me. I think I can free you.” Jee’an felt around and under Gage’s arm and located some of their luggage including her bag. She tugged hard and the baggage came free, making room for Gage’s body to drop.

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