The Deviants, part twelve

"Prepare for docking sequence."

Confirming with the mother ship, Nash turned off some of his systems so the tractor beam could guide them in.

Galen leaned back, "This is one perk to 'being a part' of the invaders."

Nash shrugged, shutting down the Deviant and purging her memory of anything compromising. "I don't mind landing my ship manually."

"But that's on Earth."

"I suppose." Flying and landing into a space hanger did require finesse, something many pilots did not possess.

They unbuckled, changing into their other uniforms as the Deviant was placed onto props for inspection. They better not try to alter his ship while he was on duty.

Opening the door, Nash and Galen stepped out, two guards waiting for them, "Do you have your reports?"

Galen handed them three tablets, "Have at it."

Bowing one more time, they walked off briskly. Nash was willing to admit that he preferred the structure the Wanderer fleet imposed through its ranks.

Dae'lon didn't want to force the humans to participate in their customs, but the rebel base could benefit from better structure and organization.

Closing the bay door to the Deviant, Nash and Galen trekked into the corridor to do their check-in. All soldiers were required to report when they arrived and left the mother ship.

Other soldiers walked past them, their hands crossed behind their backs. Nash always kept high alert whenever he was on the mothership but had to slip the calm mask so no one would suspect him.

He stepped to the side as Galen scanned the prison registry to see if any new humans had been brought to the slip. They couldn't rescue everyone, but they did their best.

"No, I'm not finding anyone new," He logged out of the computer. "Now, let's see why they recalled us back here."

Nash led the way to the audience chamber, which was basically what the humans called an auditorium, where the general gave her announcements.

The general was one of the few female Wanderers who had managed to escape the sickness, having been off-planet on a mission at the time. She had lost most of her family and was now determined to revive their race.

And while Nash understood and possessed a similar drive to save their kind, he didn't believe in conquering less technologically advanced races to accomplish that goal.

He now believed the only way to fulfill the drive was to unite with the humans and restore what both sides had lost.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Galen whispered in humans' speak since many Wanderers didn't understand their language.

"Me too." Nash forced his shoulders to relax as he stepped into the audience chamber.

Most of the seats were filled, so they sat in the back, listening to the various conversations taking place. Many were casual, but a couple of them were about policies Nash didn't care about.

Then the general stepped onto the stage, everyone going silent. Her hair was pulled back into a tight braid, her uniform hugging her body. How did she move comfortably?

"Attention, my loyal soldiers."

Nash copied their salute, cringing inside.

"I know most or all of you are wondering why I called this assembly." She crossed her arms behind her back. "Well, I'm here to tell you we will be conducting another invasion of the planet called Earth."

Nash's stomach dropped, and he glanced at Galen, who appeared just as horrified as he felt.

The rest of the audience rumbled and murmured.

The general raised a hand. "The planet has proved to be a vital resource of us, and I plan to colonize it."

Nash squeezed his armrests, hearing the metal groan beneath his grip. No, this could not be happening. She could not just do this! This wasn't their world!

Galen touched his shoulder. "Calm down, now."

taking several deep breaths, he slowly released his hold on the armrests. Galen was right. Nash had to keep his composer.

"We are still making preparations, but the plan will be underway within the next week."

What? That was fast, even for Wanderer standards. The general must have been planning a second invasion for a while. It didn't make him feel better. He had too many people he cared about on the surface for any of this to be okay.

They needed to stop the general. The question was how. He couldn't just storm into her office and arrest her. That was a fast track for his death. Instead, they had to return to the base and warn them.

The rest of the soldiers clapped and cheered the general's decision. What was wrong with them? History was about to repeat itself, leaving another planet ruined, and unlike them, the humans wouldn't be able to escape.

Nash somehow remained in his seat for the rest of the assembly. But his skin crawled, and his heart pounded.

He needed to warn the base. But how? the central computer monitored all computer and radio transmissions, and any suspicious activity was instantly flagged.

Nash would figure something out. He just needed time and help. This was going to be a tricky mission.

***

"You're surprisingly perky today," Mara held a basket of fruit, wearing the marigold shirt she loved. "I thought you would be wallowing in your room."

"Why is that?" Ava grabbed a pear, plucking it from its branch.

"Because Nash and Galen are gone."

Ava sighed, "Well, it's not like I can stop them from doing their duty, so why be sad about it?"

"Because you have feelings for him."

"Does everyone know?"

Mara nodded, grabbing a pear from a different tree. The teen really needed to spend time with people her age.

She was tempted to blame Skye, but Ava didn't really believe she was to blame for this. They must have been pretty obvious.

They resumed collecting fruit in silence, Ava mulling over many things. She didn't know what to think about everybody knowing about her private life. However, no one really had a private life on the base.

She would do her best to ignore the gossip and mind her business. It had been working for her pretty well so far.

Returning the full basket to the kiosk, Ava decided to work on her defense techniques. Even with Nash away, she remembered everything he had shown her.

She quickly changed into her workout clothes, then headed for the gym. It was empty. Perfect. Ava didn't like random people watching her work out. It made her feel self-conscious.

Ava dragged one of the dummies out, doing some quick stretches, then did a rotation of leg, core, and arm exercises. Her muscles wanted to quit, but she kept going.

There was something about working out that was so satisfying. Maybe it was because she knew it would make her stronger. Or maybe it was because it was a vice for her emotions.

She began practicing basic techniques, striking the dummy. She winced, the foam harder than she anticipated. Oh well. It wasn't like humans or Wanderers were squishy.

Ava found her flow, kicking and punching the dummy, pretending it was the enemy trying to take her from the base. She imagined the Wanderers who abducted her from her home.

Even with her hands wrapped, it didn't take long for bruises to form on her knuckles, hand heels, and the tops of her feet. They throbbed with each hit.

Ava had to stop, hobbling over to her water bottle. Christine would not be happy with her, the cold water soothing her throat.

"Surprised to see you here."

Ava jumped, finding Evan standing behind her, "Please don't do that!"

"Sorry."

Ava wiped the sweat off of her forehead, "Can I help you with something?"

"Wanna see something cool?"

She raised a brow, "What is it?"

Evan smirked, "It's a surprise."

"Oh, how mysterious." Ava was intrigued. She wasn't the most spontaneous person, but now was as good of a time as any to shake things up. "Sure, why not?"

"Awesome," Evan clapped his hands together, "You'll like it."

"I better."

"Follow me."