Captain Rydian of the Human Galactic Unit

I snuck silently through the halls. I was nervous, but brave as I kept my guard up. I didn't have any weapons aside from my personal laser, but that wasn't all that useful a tool. Cadets weren't allowed to carry lethal weapons, so the most my laser would do was give a good burn. I suppose it was better than nothing.

I continued through the halls. Everything was bathed in a red light as alarms went off all around me. The Armada was in emergency mode, yet none of the weapons were working. I was sure that was the reason the Plakters had managed to get aboard. Somehow, they must have hijacked the weapon system. My hope was that I could get into the systems chamber and fix it before the Plakters could succeed in their plans.

I stopped when I noticed two figures ahead. I hid fast, just before they could spot me, then I peeked out to see them clearly. The Plakters were tall red insect-like aliens with four arms and four legs. They wore black uniforms and helmets as they spoke to each other in a language I didn't understand.

I noticed they were in the way of the system chamber. If I could move them, I could get inside. I took a deep breath and pointed my laser at the ceiling light careful not to be seen. My aim was pretty good after the personal training I got from Leader, so there was no way to miss. I shot it down and it fell on one of them, making the hall dark where they stood. I ran out before the second one could realize what was happening. I snatched up the unconscious one's gun and shot the second one in the one of its arms and one of its legs. That managed to buy me a bit a time.

I hurried inside the chamber and locked the door behind me. I could hear it banging over and over outside, trying to get in. While it did, I turned my attention to the large machines around me and the big screen that showed camera feeds from around the Armada.

I got right to work, checking the computers to figure out what they did. Once I figured out which machine was hacked, I hurried to it. I noticed the main Command Center of the ship on one of the cameras. It was where the Commander and her crew were being held at gunpoint.

I quickly cut open one of the machines and crawled inside. Being only thirteen, it wasn't too difficult. Lucky for me, I hadn't quite reached my full growth spurt yet. I found the tangle of cords that needed work and started on them, from cutting cords and rewiring them, then connecting them in new places.

Suddenly, the machine came on and I could hear the Armada's weapons systems come online. I grinned at my success as I crawled back out, but gasped as I found the two Plakters there, ready to shoot my brain out of my head.

To my luck, the weapons in the room, lasers up high on the walls, shot them down before they could even pull the trigger. I hurried out of the room and down the hall as Plakters all over the ship tried to escape the weapons. Being human, the ship wouldn't attack me.

I ducked back from a group of Plakters around the corner, shooting out the weapons as best they could. I stayed out of shooting range and looked around for another way. That's when I spotted the vent. I knew the ship inside and out, so I pulled out my laser, cut the vent open, and slipped in. I crawled low through the ventilation until I reached the vent into the Command Center. I could see everyone fighting, humans against Plakters.

One Plakter was much larger than the others in fancy red and black clothes. He fought hard with the lovely human woman I could recognize anywhere. Commander Mayn was as incredible as ever. It was never a surprise to anyone that she was the Commander.

Though, even she wasn't perfect as the Plakter got a little help from his minions. She was quickly becoming overwhelmed, as were her men.

I slipped out of the vent and up onto the beams over the room. I aimed my laser and started shooting at Plakters. This gave the humans of the room an upper hand and they started taking out Plakter after Plakter.

Though, I didn't see the lead Plakter aim his gun and shoot up at me. I gasped as it hit my arm and caused me to lose my balance. I felt hard to the floor.

I managed to sit up and see the controls of the Command Center. If I could get to those, I could manually turn on the weapons around the room. Had I mentioned I could hack systems as well as I could fix them?

I hurried to the controls and started hacking into them, bypassing the Commander's password entry, and turning on the weapons. I made sure to aim only for foreign lifeforms.

Suddenly, I felt something stab me in the back, making me cry out and fall to the floor. Though, of course, I managed to hit the big red button as I went down. All the lasers and guns immediately started shooting down all the Plakters in the room.

I looked as I laid on my back to see the leader, called the Prime Lord of the Plakters, about to bring down a jagged knife on the Commander, who was tending to an injured woman. The woman was actually General Terron back when she was only a Sergeant.

The Commander gasped as the knife was about to be brought down, but suddenly, someone shot him in the chest. That someone was me. I had managed to snatch up a fallen gun and shoot it in time. They turned to see me as the Prime Lord collapsed dead.

I sighed and laid back on the floor. Everything was spinning and I couldn't feel anything anymore. I could make out faces above me. Especially one. The Commander lifted my head gently, "Hold on. Medics are on their way. Just stay with me, alright?"

Her worry over a simple cadet like me helped me to keep my eyes open, even if just barely. She spoke in her gentle, kind voice, "What is your name?"

I focused my eyes enough to see her face, "... R... Rydi... an... Sta... tion... th... irt... teen..."

She gave a weak smile as she tried to help me stay awake, "Rydian. Try to hang on a little longer, ok, Rydian? Everything with be fine."

I felt dizziness wash over me and I felt everything begin to fade. I saw her worry as she noticed, "Just hold on, Rydian. Rydian!"

"Rydian!"

"Captain Rydian!"

I opened my eyes to find I was in my room, sitting in a rocking chair. I was still on Klicta.

I sighed as I rubbed my eyes, which had healed since the events at the Capital, "Yes, Vanessa?"

She watched me from the screen next to my bed, "Sorry to bother you, sir, but they refuse to leave."

I was confused, until someone threw open my door. There stood Rubi, Cleo, and Orville. They saw me and looked sympathetic. I understood right away, "You told them?"

She looked sad, "I'm sorry, Captain. I thought it would help make them leave."

Orville spoke as he walked over, "We came to check on you. Everyone at class is wondering why you haven't come back over the last couple days."

Cleo spoke softly, looking pretty sad for me, "Are you really never going home, Rydian?"

I sighed, feeling empty at the thought, "So it would seem. I am no longer their problem. I'm on my own from here on out."

Orville looked annoyed, "What kind of jerks leave one of their own at the mercy of the enemy like that? As far as they know, you're on a deadly planet! How could they just leave you? You're one of their important Space Captains!"

I scoffed coldly, "Not anymore." I stood up and walked by them, "The fact is, they aren't coming and we have no way of leaving." I walked out of the room and headed downstairs.

Orville spoke as he followed, "So, what now?"

I was about to answer once I reached the bottom of the stairs, but another voice caught my attention, "Hello? Rydian?"

I gasped to see Lillian right inside the front door. I jumped into another room just before she could turn in our direction. I heard Rubi speak, sounding like the nervous love-sick kid I knew he was, "Oh! Lillian! Hi! What are you doing here?"

I listened as I fixed my appearance, "I came to see Rydian. I heard from my father that he wasn't in class the last couple days, so I came to make sure he was alright. Is he here?"

I came out, now looking like a brown kliton, "Hi, Lillian."

She smiled her kind smile, "Hello, Rydian. How are you?"

I shrugged, "Ok, I guess."

She could tell something was wrong, "What's the matter, Rydian? How come you haven't been to class?"

I thought fast and came up with an idea, "Family issue."

She looked curious, "Would you like to talk about it? I'm told I'm a good listener. Maybe I could help?"

I thought about it carefully and quickly, "Sure. I guess it would be alright." Orville, Rubi, and Cleo looked confused. I turned to them, "Thanks again for coming by. We can talk later, ok?"

Orville understood my intentions, "Sure. See you later." He grabbed Cleo and Rubi and they headed out.

I turned to Lillian and motioned to the couch, "Why don't you have a seat?"

She smiled and sat down while I sat next to her with a sigh. She watched me thoughtfully, "So, what is troubling you, Rydian?"

I knew exactly how to answer, "It's my dad."

Her eyes were soft as they watched me, "Your dad? What happened?"

I gave my newly planned backstory, "I have a confession to make. You see, when I moved here, I wasn't planning on staying."

She listened calmly, "Oh?"

I nodded, "I used to live with my mom, but she travels a lot. So, we decided I would start living with my dad. I would come live in Tintale for a while, just until my dad came to get me." She listened to every word.

I sighed and looked away, "But, I learned a couple days ago that... well, he's not coming. There was a change of plans. He no longer thinks I'm his responsibility, so he's not coming."

She became sympathetic, "He abandoned you?"

I nodded as I looked at my feet, the ache of the real situation returning, "Yeah. It would seem that way."

While the whole thing in itself was awful, it pained me more when I thought about the fact that the Commander would have had to make the call to terminate me. Only a Commander could, so it wasn't General Coin's doing this time. Commander Mayn quit on me, and that seemed to hurt the most. Especially after all she'd said about us being friends and how she owed me her life after what I did for her and the rest of Earth. She could at least have tried, but she decided I wasn't worth the trouble.

She moved in closer, "I'm so sorry, Rydian. That must be awful."

Her kindness seemed to ease the ache, "Thanks, Lillian."

She sighed sadly as she looked at her hands in her lap, "For what? I haven't done anything. I can't even find something nice to say."

I smiled and took one of her hands in mine, "For just being you. Ever since I moved here, you and so many others have made my life here... nice. The truth is, I don't really mind being abandoned all that much. I have some really good friends here in Tintale. You've all been kind to me and have helped me out a lot." I smiled at her, "So, thank you. Thank you for being a good friend."

She blushed with a kind smile, "Your welcome, Rydian."

To be honest, I really wasn't all that bothered about being terminated anymore. I could honestly say I liked Klicta and the klitons I'd met in it. I had a decent life and good friends. The only thing I was worried about were klitons like Hilary. If she could figure me out and nearly kill me, I was still in trouble.

Whether I liked it or not, I didn't belong on Klicta. At least, not as a kliton. The fact was, I was a human. Humans belong on Earth. I had friends there. I had family there. Earth was my home, and I had to get back to it. And besides all that, I still wanted to show General Coin up for causing this mess in the first place.

Lillian spoke, still holding my hand as she blushed, "So, now that you won't be going with your father, will you be staying? You know, staying here in Tintale?"

As much as I wanted to say yes, I sighed, "Probably not. I'll probably go back to where I came from. My mom would prefer I did. I have other friends and family there. It's my home."

Lillian looked a little disappointed, but smiled softly, "I see. Well, you'll still be my friend, even after you're gone."

I smiled at her. I had to admit, I was glad I got to meet these klitons. Even while this whole thing never should have happened, I was kinda glad it did. I got to find an amazing world full of amazing people. I could only hope that I could come back again after this whole mess got sorted out.

She sighed with a kind smile, "Well, we can still enjoy each other's company a while longer before you go, right?"

I smiled, squeezing her hand slightly, "Of course. I wouldn't want it any other way." At that moment, we both made a heart, and florence, -felt promise to be friends no matter what. No matter where in the universe, no matter how long.

Though, how long would she feel that way if she were to learn my secret? I really couldn't be sure. For the time being, I was going to play it simple. One day, I'd tell her the truth, but not until things simmered down.

After all, at that moment, my main focus was to get back to Earth. And, thanks to Lillian, I had an idea how to do that.

Though, that night, things went from bad to worse. Professor Nick was at the Education Hall late, working on things for the next day's class. He glanced up at where I would usually have been sitting, deep in thought.

Suddenly, the lights went out. He looked around as someone chuckled, "Who's there? Come out here this instant!"

Then a familiar voice spoke, "Those fools. The real enemy stares them in the face and they go after me. I'm trying to do what's right, and they hunt me down for it. The nerve of some klitons."

Professor Nick knew exactly who it was, "Hilary. What do you want? The Enforcers are still searching for you. If you come near me, I'll..."

She laughed, still hidden in darkness, "You'll what? Don't tell me you're going to ignore it too."

He was confused, "Ignore what?"

Something suddenly dropped on the desk in front of him. In the moonlight coming through the window, he could easily see what it was. A knife with blood on it. He looked it over, "What do you want me to do with it?"

She chuckled casually, "Relax, old Senior. I only want you to look at it. I promise, I'm not here to kill you."

Professor Nick looked over the knife, "What's wrong with it?"

She dropped down across the desk from him, looking as dangerous as ever, "It's the knife I cut your precious little student with. Notice something wrong?"

He was silent as he looked at the knife. Something did bother him. It had been bothering him ever since that day.

Hilary laughed when she saw his silence, "Admit it. You know what I'm talking about."

Professor Nick spoke softly as he continued to watch the knife, "There was only ever one creature that had red blood, and you could only see it in movies."

She smiled, "What was that creature?"

He hesitated, but he knew there was no beating around it, "...an alien lifeform." He added quickly, "But I don't believe in life on other planets. It's absolute nonsense!"

She smirked as he motioned over the papers on his desk, "Yet here you are, reading old newspapers." He glanced down at the newspapers on his desk.

She smiled, crossing her arms behind her back, "Face it, you see what I see. Rydian is a fraud."

Professor Nick was determined to prove her wrong, "That's not true. He has been a responsible, average young Adolescent ever since he..."

She cut in, "Moved here? Did you ever hear someone moving in? Did you notice that he moved in right after that strange shape appeared in the sky, even if briefly? He appeared literally the next morning after that. I looked into him further. He was never in Clairvon Town, his banking account appeared out of nowhere the same day he moved in, there are no parents to speak of, and there is no such thing as Rydian the brown kliton."

But Professor Nick wasn't having it, "I don't believe you."

She smiled coldly at him, "Yes you do. You believed me the moment you saw his blood was red. Think about it. He's 'handicap' because he has short ears, he seems to know nothing about klitons because of his 'learning disability', he can't make out colors because he says he's 'colorblind' when the term doesn't exist, he takes great interest in learning everything there is to learn since coming to Tintale, and now he has red blood. Are you really so stubborn?" Then she smirked, pulling out her trump card, "Especially when he works so closely with your daughter?" That got him.

Professor Nick looked away, unable to lie to himself any longer, "When he knocked me aside in the Capital, I saw it on the ground. Red blood. I didn't see him with it, I simply saw it on the ground after you both ran off."

Hilary knew she'd won him over, "You knew something wasn't right. Surely you had to wonder why he was so determined to get home after the event."

He sighed as he sunk into his chair, "I assumed he was shaken up. You did try to kill him."

She grinned, looking pleased, "And nearly succeeded."

The professor continued, "But I never... he was so..."

Hilary sighed, pretending to seem sympathetic, "Yes, I know. Like all your students, he became a part of the family."

Profesor Nick sighed as he looked down at his hands, "I know the truth, but how can I expose him? He did save my life that day."

Hilary simply shrugged, "Do what you want. I don't care. I'll see to it one day he will be destroyed." Then she grinned coldly, "So enjoy him while you have him." With that, she jumped in the air and the lights finally came back on. Hilary was gone.

Professor Nick looked down at the knife on his desk. Red with my blood. He sighed as he thought about me, "Rydian. Who are you really?"

And if things weren't already really bad, it was a nightmare back on Earth in the Armada. General Terron was with Commander Mayn in the Commander's office at that moment. Though, they were both silent, Commander Mayn looking miserable and heartbroken.

The Commander spoke softly, "How could this happen? He only just started out as a Space Captain. He had his whole life ahead of him." Tears came to her eyes, "How could Rydian be dead?"

General Terron sighed as she spoke, "I truly am sorry, Commander. I wish I could tell you otherwise. I really do."

The Commander wiped her eyes, "He didn't deserve it. A single mistake, and now he's gone. If I had known he would die, I would have never made him a Space Captain. After everything he's done or been through his whole life, he didn't deserve to die like that." She buried her face in her hands, "Who knows what the klitons did to him? They could have tortured him to death." She stopped herself, unable to take the pain of it.

"You're absolutely right, Commander." They turned to see a man walk in. His skin was pale, his eyes were an icy teal, and his black hair was slicked back. He wore a matching white General's coat to General Terron. He spoke calmly as he joined the two women, "Commander, I couldn't agree more. He didn't deserve that."

The Commander sighed as she looked away, "General Coin." General Terron looked concerned.

General Coin continued, "He was a boy. A helpless boy with his whole life ahead of him. He finally gets his dream, only to be killed on the first mission. It's heartbreaking."

The Commander fought her tears, "General, please..."

But he didn't stop, "Commander, what they did was wrong. Unforgivable. To take such a young, innocent life. To kill our great hero when he'd done nothing wrong, not once in his life." The Commander's attempts to fight her tears failed as they escaped her eyes as she continued to look away.

The Commander was always kind-hearted, especially to me. She admired and respected me ever since we first met. Like I said before, we were good friends after I rescued her and her crew during the Plakter war, even if she did admire me before that. I did save Earth a couple times before that, remember?

General Coin continued, "Commander, we are the leaders of Earth's S.T.S. It is our duty to neutralize all threats. These klitons have proven to be too dangerous, especially now that they are so close to space travel. What if they know too much from Rydian? What if they tortured information out of the boy before killing him? They may be after Earth next." Commander Mayn was silent.

He spoke, reaching his main point, "We must stop them. We must take Planet Klicta." General Terron gasped.

Commander Mayn didn't notice her friend as she looked at General Coin, "Take Planet Klicta?"

He nodded as he explained, "Commander, they are a threat. They could come and start war with us in only a matter of years." The he looked grim, "And might I remind you, our great hero is gone now. Who will stop them like the Plakters?"

Commander Mayn thought about it. As she thought, General Terron spoke up, "B-but that's insane! To go after a planet like that? It's inhumane!"

General Coin spoke kindly to his wife, "My darling, might I remind you who was originally going to be the fifteenth Space Captain?"

The Commander understood, "It would have been you, General Coin."

He nodded as he took his wife's hand, "If not Rydian, it would have been me killed on that planet. I would be the one dead now. I know it hurts you to acknowledge it, my dearest, but I would have been lost to you forever. Surely you wouldn't wish that pain on anyone else." General Terron was silent. She knew the truth, but she didn't say a word. He knew she wouldn't.

He then turned to the Commander, "Commander Mayn, we must take this planet immediately. Before they can use Rydian's equipment and knowledge to come take us first." She was still uncertain. He spoke softly, using his own trump card, "If not for Earth, do it for Rydian. He died at the hands of these aliens. After all the good he'd done in his life, he was repaid by being killed for the sake of a mistake. Surely the least you could do as his friend is make sure he didn't die in vain."

Commander Mayn was silent a while longer, then finally spoke, "Prepare the Armada." She looked at them, her eyes cold, "We're taking Klicta."

General Coin smiled proudly, "Wise choice, Commander. We will see to it that it is done right away."

General Terron was silent. This was going too far. It was wrong.

What had she done?