The Freedom Riders: The Kachina Series Book Two

By Margaret Vivienne Currie

Just as Hordea is about to embark on a journey into adulthood, he realizes the citizens of the three main planets in the Federation are dying at the hands of Boridus, their treacherous leader. As the citizens battle a mysterious disease and years of peace begin to vanish, Hordea seizes an opportunity to read Boriduss mind and learn of his diabolical plan. Seemingly left with no other choice, Hordea leads a group of friends to escape the planet aboard an old ship.

As they head toward Amphosea, a safe haven where they hope to develop a plan to unseat Boridus and restore freedom, they are soon encouraged to return home to rescue their families. But when their pilot talks them into a daring journey back to Argwis via a slingshot, the friends celebrate their success with a wild party that causes all of them to fall into a coma and their unreliable ship to hurl through space without a pilot. With Boridus in hot pursuit, Hordea is eventually captured and transported to planetary headquarters, the others incarcerated, and communication severed with their mentor.

In this continuing sci-fi adventure, a freedom fighter and his compatriots wage a dangerous battle for independence as a dictator unleashes his wrath onto the galaxy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press AU
• Release date: Oct 19, 2015
• ISBN: 9781452530512

Margaret Vivienne Currie

Margaret Vivienne Currie raised her children as a single parent after the death of her husband. She pursued her passion for writing after returning to college when her children were older. Margaret currently resides in Australia. This is her third book and the second in her sci-fi adventure series.

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Copyright © 2015 Margaret Vivienne Currie.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Artwork by Space Telescope Science Institute/Hubble Telescope

ISBN: 978-1-4525-3050-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-3051-2 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 10/14/2015

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Index of Argwisian and Miakdokian names

CHAPTER 1

I T WAS THE last year of my teen village education when a strange affliction began to affect members of the Federation of Planets, so we were led to believe. After haemorrhaging internally from a weakening of their veins and arteries, followed by total cellular breakdown, they were usually dead within five days, according to the Federation accounts. They also assured us the latest medical advancements had been employed, but to no avail.

After an elaborate ceremony for the burial of their ashes, broadcast onto every screen throughout the three major planets in the Federation, we privately mourned their loss. The burning of their bodies was a necessary precaution, due to the mysterious nature of what appeared to be an uncontrollable virus. Miakdok, the planetary headquarters of the Federation was, therefore, quarantined.

The elders of both Hargotuk and Argwis asked Boridus, the Federation leader, for replacement members for the vacant positions. They also suggested that, until the virus was under control, the new representatives be stationed on our planet and Hargotuk. These requests were fobbed off with the explanation that the remaining nine representatives would be sufficient. The Federation succeeded in convincing all the elders of the remaining two planets that they were well on the way to having the problem in hand. That did not appear to be the case, we realised when we began to receive private, coded messages on my father’s workstation.

The messages were warnings of the Federation keeping knowledge of ordinary citizens on Miakdok coming down with the same disease, in spite of not appearing to have direct contact with any Federation member. Our citizens were unaccustomed to considering war as a means to establish their rights. However, there was plenty of evidence secretly filtering through that our rights were no longer a concern of the Federation. In the past, any request put to the Federation automatically became a topic for discussion. Even being fobbed off should have rung warning bells. But it didn’t.

It was just minutes before my class graduation ceremony when Dontigan ran in breathless and excitedly yelled, Hordea, Boridus has just landed on our shuttle pad. I thought they were observing strict quarantine?

Perhaps it’s over, and he’s decided to conduct our ceremony.

You’re too sentimental. Why haven’t we heard about it before this? Something is not right, and I don’t believe it has been for a long time.

Well, there’s not much we can do about it now. Angrily I tugged my ceremonial kaftan over my head feeling annoyed. If you don’t hurry Dontigan, you’ll be late for the ceremony.

My buoyant mood evaporated as I realised we were embarking on our adulthood, only to be caught up in conflict with the Federation. Such a situation had not arisen for centuries. We prided ourselves on our ability to maintain a peaceful existence, in spite of the diverse cultures throughout our solar system.

Yes, yes, I know. I’m coming, Dontigan snapped as he pulled his kaftan over his straight cream hair that seemed to bounce naturally into place without the need of hair equipment.

Dontigan’s words caused my chest to tighten as my thoughts turned to our beloved leader. Surely Dontigan was paranoid, I said to myself in an attempt to calm the panic.

We hurried to join the rest of our class who were already lining up to parade to the main village to receive our graduation statuette. The crystal statuette would be displayed prominently in our homes to remind us of our new adult responsibilities in the community.

Once the ceremony was over, I planned to continue my studies in botany and microbiology. With these skills, I could travel beyond the average citizen voyages to foreign planets in ours and other galaxies. The idea of these adventures excited me immensely. Because I would be away much of my life, I didn’t require a permanent home. I could use one of the visitor houses when I came to Elfionda. I had decided against a career in child rearing.

Dontigan, on the other hand, had already found a vacant house in Mozat. Mozat is where our artists and craftsmen and women tend to gravitate. It is also a highly regarded weaving centre. Here many houses have weaving looms to keep alive the ancient weaving techniques. So this was the appropriate place for him to study textile engineering.

As we entered the crystal tower that houses our sports complex, I could see the corpulent form of Boridus sitting on the podium, along with the elders from all towns represented in the graduation ceremony. Boridus’ full dark olive face held no hint of impending trouble.

Woldek, who had graduated the year before, accepted the responsibility of receiving each student and handing him his statuette. This tradition had not changed in over a thousand years.

The ceremony was being conducted as usual, I realised and brushed aside my feelings of distrust. But my relief was premature. As I reached the podium, I felt a general sense feeling of no one being present as if the town elders were bored with the proceedings. Only Boridus made no attempt to conceal his thoughts. Horrified, I quickly altered my thinking to anything of little consequence. As my turn came, I forced myself to concentrate on the words Woldek was saying as he handed me my statuette. I carefully tucked it under my right arm, to place my hands together for him to clasp in the formal Argwisian greeting. Only then did I gain an indication he knew what Boridus had planned for me. Normally a routine handclasp would have little effect once the hands were removed, but his passionate concern for me rode up my arms and remained with me for several minutes. He kept all dangerous thoughts strictly out of his mind, as I was doing.

I took my place in the procession, holding my statuette in front of me for the crowd to add their blessings. But instead of sitting with family and friends at the end of this ceremonial parade I kept on walking while keeping my thoughts strictly on how I intended to upgrade our gardens. I also listed all the advantages of the new technology I had learned for preventing metal deterioration in our space vehicles caused by microbes present even in the currents in space. In this way I hoped I could fool Boridus into believing I was so intent on starting my new career I was not aware of his thoughts. If I had attempted to blank my mind, I would have run the risk of filling it with plans of escape. I thought of the hydroponic system on the mother ship and how I could better the plant strains to provide its residents with the healthiest fruits and vegetables. Any thought I could bring to mind, to keep from considering a plan of escape, or even thinking about the horror of what he intended for me. I was not able to access how far Boridus’ mind-reading abilities could reach, so I continued this ruse until I reached the road leading to the shuttle hanger, some distance from the sports and recreation complex.

Outside of town, my heart sank as I saw Boridus had landed his shuttle close to our hanger doors. There was no way for me to get our shuttle out. I had no choice I would have to steal theirs. Fortunately, their hatch was open. I crept up beside it and sneaked a swift look inside. Although it appeared empty, I remained alert as I leapt into the interior. Just then, the pilot appeared on the balcony rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The fool must have been having a nap in the upstairs dormitory while waiting Boridus’s return. As he spotted me, he grabbed his pulsar gun from its clip on his belt. But he caught the firing mechanism and stunned his leg. I raced up the stairs towards him as he staggered down. Using the balustrade for momentum, I executed a flying leap, which connected my toe with his neck, knocking him unconscious. He stumbled past me, landing face up on the floor below. I grabbed the gun out of his hand and used his gun belt to secure his hands behind his back. I needed to bind his legs before he regained consciousness. What could I use? Desperately, I checked the small cupboard beside the hatchway. There hung a strap usually used to secure instruments from shifting during high-speed manoeuvres. I snatched it out and bound it firmly around his ankles. Satisfied he could not escape, I dragged him outside far enough from the shuttle to prevent him being injured as I took off.

Although I had no formal lessons in flying a shuttle, I had often watched what the pilots did. I guarantee there is not a child within the Federation who has not watched the take-off procedure.

Once I’d closed the hatch, I shot into space with no idea where to go. If Boridus had turned the Federation against us, as I suspected from his thoughts, then nowhere on Argwis was safe. The design of our shuttles were not for inter-planetary travel. That meant I would have to find a safe hiding place on our planet. Boridus had taken charge of the only serviceable mother ship, suspending space travel for the ordinary citizens indefinitely. I had no idea of its orbital timing around Argwis. I took my chances and headed towards the far side of our planet. There I would have night protection in our beautiful ancient forest. We have a crude holiday house in its depths.

My muscles were tight with panic as I sped as fast as I dared take the huge shuttle. With great relief, I spotted the silhouette of the forest on the evening edge of Argwis. Unfortunately, when I landed, I could not hide the shuttle until it cooled, as its hot surface would ignite the trees. Because the shuttle was too hot, I was forced to leave it in full view of my pursuers. I had no illusions about not being pursued.

Entering the forest, I tried to run, but the forest was dense and the black darkness of the Argwis night made it impossible to see. My kaftan caught on a branch. Panicking, I yanked it off and pushed it under a pile of pine needles hurriedly scraped together. On I struggled, shoving the damp branches aside, but soon I began to wish I had remained calm enough to check the shuttle’s cryogenic chamber for food. Without a chance to plan my escape, the area was littered with clues to my whereabouts.

I had to stop and plan. On my hands and knees, I felt the ground beneath the cedar beside me. I knew I would discover many years of built up needle deposits. Hurriedly I scraped the needles into a pile against its massive craggy trunk and slid under the branches to lie in comfort. As I lay there in the pine perfumed dark, I considered the idea of travelling through the forest by the light of day.

With my internal clock set for Elfionda, on the other side of Argwis, I knew I would have trouble adjusting to a different sleep pattern. Without a sleep inducer, I had to try. Sometime during the long night I must have dozed. The noise of the birds in the branches above my head woke me. Carefully I peered out through the pine’s branches watching for any movement.

The air was chilly, and wisps of cloud hung in the trees, causing moisture to drip from every pine needle. I longed to stand erect, but I feared someone would leap out from behind a nearby tree. I rubbed my limbs as silently as I could before I carefully rose to a kneeling position. Only after several careful rotations, while peering through the cover of dense branches did I dare to stand. While remaining within the pine’s branches, I carried out another thorough reconnaissance from this higher perspective. To my right in the misty distance, I spotted the bright green and gold of my hastily stashed kaftan. Satisfied there was nobody in the immediate vicinity, I shoved my way back and buried the offending garment deeper into the pine needles.

As I knew I couldn’t stay in this forest without eventually being found, I tried to think of alternative places to hide beyond these woods. After several uneventful hours of pushing my way through the branches, I tripped on a partly exposed rock and stumbled towards an area of huge boulders. The sight of these rocks reminded me of the huge wall of similar shapes topping a massive canyon about ten miles beyond this forest. In its midst is a cave system where I would be safer and drier than I felt at that moment. I bowed to the unseen helper who had placed the rock in my path to trigger this association. With renewed enthusiasm, I pushed and shoved my way to the far edge of the forest. Once I left the trees, my only protection would be the Argwis night before Miakdok rose above our horizon, just prior to dawn. I would have to travel under the protection of darkness. The opposite of what I was doing now.

A twig cracked in the direction from where I had just come. I dived beneath the branches of the pine next to me with my heart beating wildly. The steady rhythm of someone determinedly stomping over small twigs and the swishing of branches held and suddenly released was getting closer.

Hordea! called an unfamiliar voice with a thick Miakdokian accent.

I kept perfectly still, hardly daring to breathe, my heart pounding hard in my chest. I took several slow, deep breaths to calm myself. Another twig cracked much closer. Then the soft crunch of dry twigs and leaves was right beside where I lay.

Hordea you can’t escape! We have the forest surrounded. Besides, I’m sure you would not want your town and its people reduced to rubble, now would you?

In spite of what he was saying I remained rigid, not daring to move a muscle. My chest tightened until I could hardly breathe. The threat of losing my family and friends shocked me. I found it impossible to comprehend anyone in the Federation of Planets capable of such an evil plan. Then who would have believed the deeply religious Boridus would come to capture me as a natural sperm bank. Although we have advanced technology in cloning, his religious convictions forbade the use of duplication, using what he considered to be unnatural processes. I understood from a quick read of his thinking, he had devised a means to raise a race of white servants, who would be loyal to his political and religious convictions. I could not comprehend How an intelligent person could extract and rearranging facts to suit his needs, yet still hold the belief he was a devoted servant of the Great Spirit.

My parents had trained me to weigh the controversial, using spiritual values to over-ride emotional choices. Never in my wildest imaginings did I ever conceive I would have to sacrifice my family, friends and my entire community, to prevent the suffering of children not yet formed.

Once I focussed on the only choice available to me, I put myself in the hands of the Great Spirit, sent love to the Elfiondan community, and especially my family. Then I lay as still as I could.

The rhythmic crunching of twigs under someone’s boots told me my pursuer was striding round in a circle as if he sensed I was not far away. Now and then he fired his pulsar gun. I lay perfectly still, letting my thoughts join with the rising sap of the pine, hiding me. I lay there for a long time, at one with the tree as my life force circulated with its energy. I felt a great peace emanating from the tree as if it knew my dilemma. As I dared to return to my body, the sound of snapping twigs was a faint sound way back towards the direction I had come the day before.

My lips were dry, and the inside of my mouth felt as rough as sandstone. I had to get water and soon. I thought of our primitive, crystal house, my family used, situated on the banks of a creek. Occasionally we took holidays in this lovely setting and often friends joined us. I believed my present direction would lead me to it and more particularly, the creek.

The forest had been silent for some time. Now the odd bird chirped. I hoped this signalled my enemy had left the area. I rolled out from under the branches and quickly looked around before jumping to my feet and frantically shoving my way through the forest to my first drink for many hours. With much relief I reached the creek, cupped my hands in the chilled water and gulped its contents thirstily. I splashed more water on my face, the sharp cold tempting me to strip off and bathe, but I feared my enemy may still be in the area.

With my thirst quenched, I waded across the creek at a shallow bend, where small stones had piled during storms, forming a shallow place to cross. With renewed vigour, I pushed my way through the dense forest as fast as I could, stopping often to listen, but the sounds of the trees were not to be feared. Eventually, the forest included shrubbery as the soil was replaced with limestone, heralding the beginning of cave country.

Although many miles away yet, I knew I was heading toward the rock formations, containing a large cave. While still concealed within the last of the tall trees, I peered over the low shrubbery into the bright open spaces of this rocky landscape.

Appalled, I saw a shuttle glinting in the sun not more than one hundred feet away. Panicking, I struggled back into the denser forest until I found a pine where I flung myself beneath its branches and waited until my heart settled to a normal rhythm. Once I’d calmed, I eased myself out from under its cover and struggle along what I believed was parallel to the forest edge.

Peering through trees at the rock-scattered land stretching for miles depressed me. I had no choice; I would have to make this treacherous journey in the pitch black of night. I struggled through the undergrowth looking for a fallen branch suitable for making a staff. The staff would enable me to feel my way and hopefully, avoid many of the obstacles I knew would hinder my progress.

Eventually, I found a fallen tree, its branches not yet rotted into brittleness. I began to bend a suitably sized branch back and forth until it gave way, leaving a heel at the thicker end. With the branch separated, I stripped away its many smaller branches. A glinting light momentarily blinded me as I straightened up. I shot a glance towards the source of the light to ascertain its cause. But I could not make out what it was. I edged towards the sparser undergrowth to check what had caused the bright light. To my horror, I came upon many more precisely distanced shuttles. Boridus would know I had no food, I realised with a sinking heart. It appeared the whole fleet had been mobilised to ensure I could not escape.

While I waited interminably for darkness, I clung desperately to the unreasonable hope the shuttles would shut off their lights. In the distance, I sighted a group of large boulders, well beyond the shuttles.

As darkness finally overtook the land I memorised the positions of the major obstacles now visible in their powerful lights and worked out the most direct route.

The hours dragged on, and my limbs stiffened and cramped as the cold dampness seeped into my muscles. To my astonishment, the shuttles one by one dimmed their powerful lights. The remaining dull glow focussed towards the forest. If I kept my head low I might be able to sneak through in the shadow of the shuttle directly in front of me, I figured. Carefully I eased my way through the undergrowth, holding aside the tangles of branches and gently releasing them behind me. I headed for the area of least light. It was now or never.

Once free of the shrubbery, and with my makeshift staff tucked under my arm, I made a dash for the closest shuttle’s shadow. It was a risky move with the likelihood they were using their probes. With this thought in mind, I hurried through the shadow of the shuttle, almost touching its surface, not daring to use my staff for fear the enemy would hear me. My heart thundered in my chest with each cautious step I took.

Once beyond the scope of the dimmed shuttle lights, I was forced to lessen my momentum and use my staff to probe for obstacles. There seemed to be many more protrusions than I had seen. Prior to taking each step, I carefully fanned my staff to find the obstacles that could cause me to fall. It made for maddeningly slow progress, and my head felt giddy as I fought the screaming panic. Then I found the welcome boulders and sighed with relief as I sank into their midst. I had succeeded in negotiating the most dangerous part of my escape.

Then I heard one of Boridus’ men calling out to his companion, but the partner didn’t answer. That unnerved me. Was he patrolling out beyond their shuttle? Had he seen me passing and was trying to attract the attention of others? In the darkness of my hiding place, I couldn’t see anything. Would his reconnaissance include the boulders where I was hiding? I prayed to the Great Spirit to keep them away.

I heard what sounded like a boot hitting one of the many rocks protruding from the ground, followed by a dull thud. He grunted in agony close to where I was hiding. I could distinctly hear his heavy breathing as he attempted to cope with the pain. Training my mind in his direction I tried to learn his plan if he captured me. His superficial mind concentrated on easing his pain and the dilemma of calling for help and giving away his position. I probed his mind a little deeper. What stunned me was his belief that I was so desperate I would kill him with my bare hands. His fear decided his course of action. With relief, I heard him scrambling and scraping his way back to his shuttle.

I remained tuned to his thoughts until he was within reach of his companion. I carefully left my hiding place and continued towards where I believed was the direction of the towering rock formations and the safety of the cave in their midst.

My journey was slow and tedious. I had trouble controlling the panic at my slow pace, afraid I would not make the rock formation before Miakdok rose to flood the landscape with its bright, reflected light. I stumbled on more and more protruding rocks, like a blind man in the unfamiliar territory. However, it heartened me to know this increasingly treacherous land was bringing me closer to the caves.

As I stumbled slowly in the darkness, the air became colder. The night was edging into the early hours before dawn.

As I stumbled on, I wondered if I would make it to the shelter of the cave before the landscape became bathed in light. I had almost reached total despair when I became aware I was labouring up a steadily increasing incline. I suddenly slammed into a solid wall of rock. As I rubbed away the pain, I sat down with relief with my back against its welcoming rough surface.

Somewhere along this wall was a narrow crack, just wide enough for me to squeeze through. With this thought, I hauled myself up and chose the left-hand direction. With one hand in contact with its cold, craggy surface and the other fanning my makeshift staff, I shuffled along feeling for the cave opening.

How could I possibly find such an opening in the inky darkness? I asked myself. I was losing heart again. Perhaps it would be better to wait until the planet Miakdok to rose near dawn and hope Boridus’s men were not probing in this direction.

Come on Hordea, that’s far too risky, I scolded. I had already run a terrible risk and got away with it. I had to keep my head clear of such negative thoughts. Boridus’ men apparently, were not using the probes when I sneaked between the shuttles last night, but I couldn’t risk their continuing inefficiency.

Thirsty, cold and exhausted, I struggled on keeping one hand in contact with the stone wall as I tested one step after another. I thought this night would never end. My confidence in escaping Boridus’ men was diminishing quickly. Then at my lowest point I realised I could vaguely see the wall and knew I was running out of time. Where was this cave? I turned towards the horizon where a faint light illuminated the clouds. My progress increased as the light gradually brightened. There was now enough light to see the wall ahead of me ended, becoming lost in broken off slabs of rock scattered down the slope. My heart sank. In the darkness, I had chosen the wrong direction.

I dropped to the ground and gave in to despair. Why hadn’t the Great Spirit heard my plea? I looked back to the forest the shuttles surrounded. Below me, the fog sat like a thick, white blanket. If I couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see me. With renewed hope, I struggled to my feet and hurried back along the wall with enough light now to avoid tripping over fallen rocks. It surprised me how far I had travelled as eventually I was forced to climb over an unfamiliar boulder, which blocked my path. During the night, I hadn’t found my path blocked to that extent.

The crack, which had eluded me all night, came into view. With relief, I quickly squeezed through the cave opening to find the interior lit by a fire. Dontigan ran to me and embraced me warmly while Myatia stirred the contents of a pan, which hung on a tripod above it. Full of emotion I could not control, my throat restricted to see my friends.

CHAPTER 2

D ONTIGAN DRAGGED A large, flat rock over, and I gratefully sat down. Myatia handed me a bowl of thick soup, but I couldn’t hold it without spilling the contents as my body shuddered uncontrollably. She lifted my fingers from around the bowl and ladled small scoops of soup between my chattering teeth. While she fed me, Dontigan tucked an auto-thermal-adjusting blanket around me. Slowly the shuddering ceased as my body warmed. By the time I’d finished the second bowl of hot soup, exhaustion had flooded me. I lay on the earth beside the fire, not caring where I slept, just as long as I could do so in peace.

Dontigan pulled me to my feet as he said, We’ve made you a far more comfortable bed, my friend. He led me to a thick layer of grass, into which I gratefully sank. Wrapping the blanket about me, I let oblivion sweep away the trauma of my unbelievably shocking nightmare.

I have no idea how long I slept. When I woke the cave was dim, lit only by a few remaining embers of the fire. My eyes were stinging from the smoke-laden air. As I peered through my tears, searching for my companions, I spotted the shadowy figure of Myatia sitting on a heap of slashed grass on the other side of the embers.

You’ve been asleep for many hours. How do you feel? she gently asked me.

I considered her question for a moment or two. Other than feeling a little bruised and stiff I had come through my adventure relatively unscathed.

Much improved, thanks to you both. I peered into the dark in puzzlement. Where is Dontigan?

I caught the flash of her white teeth as she grinned in the vague light. He’s watering the roots of the dwygon creeper that is camouflaging our mother ship.

What mother ship? I asked in astonishment. Then I remembered the only possible answer to that. You mean that old wreck from the teen village?

She laughed as she sat beside me on my heap of grass. Yes Hordea, that old wreck.

I was astounded. Although I’d seen students from varying disciplines enthusiastically pulling apart its many components, the idea of it being capable of taking us into space was unimaginable. Then the rest of what she’d said dawned.

Dwygon creeper? Where did it come from?

You remember, silly, the mother ship was covered in it. Argnor assured us there was enough power in the old girl to fly out and uproot it. She giggled as she remembered. It must have been quite a sight if anybody had been watching us.

Were you followed? I asked in alarm.

No, said Dontigan confidently. He had just returned from out the back of the cave. "At that moment Boridus was too concerned about catching you to bother about the rest of the class. Even so, just as a precaution, we waited until dark before we took off. While still in the teen village we used the old girl’s probe to scan the country to see where you’d gone. Everyone assumed you would take our shuttle, so we had not