In the year 2304, settlements have been established in the wastelands as people hope for new beginnings. What remains of the past are mere fragments of history due to the many wars that took place. The first settlements were founded on the planet Meraki in the late 2200s when space travel was still limited. Unfortunately, only the wealthy and famous were able to settle there, leaving the poor and those who suffered from the wars to fend for themselves. Unfortunately, peace on Meraki was not a given, and a lot of wanderers and techies with the dream of fame and contentment found a way to overthrow the once peaceful planet.
Keira, a promising soldier from the eagle tribe, has been called to join one of many attempts to take Meraki back.
The Eagle tribe is the name of a group of soldiers in one of the bigger settlements that started from a once flourishing town. A town they decided to call New Hope.
Keira returned the knife to its holster. In these times, obtaining weapons was a difficult task. Whatever remained after the wars was quickly snatched and sold to the highest bidder on the black market. Keira's life had never been easy. She was an orphan who was raised by an old soldier, Don, who was regarded as a war hero in their settlement. Although Don was the best father she could have asked for, he never wished for Keira to become a member of the force. However, it seemed to be a part of her that she couldn't ignore. She was a woman who desired to make a difference, but unlike many women, she couldn't engage in market trading or get married at a young age to look after her husband. She was one of the rare women who knew combat and self-defense, but this ability was not appreciated as she was often overlooked due to her gender. Due to Don’s retirement, she had limited clothing options and had to rely mostly on clothing donated to the local church or collected from deserted towns. The town had started producing some of the items themselves, but most valuable items were taken by raiders who had a greater interest in weapons or things with trade value.
“I take it I can’t change your mind.” Don was sitting in the corner of the kitchen eyeing her every move as she entered.“Dad, you know that I have to uphold the family name.” She smiled and pulled her long black locks in a braid.
You would assume that soldiers would dress accordingly, but their army consisted of mostly close combat, skilled trackers, and a couple of brawny men. Tribes were scattered all over, most had allied and some had perished over the years. In their group, there were only two women, Keira and a very skilled tracker called Sasha.
“You know that at twenty-five you are one of the few unmarried women in town, that does not include Hellen.” She had to smile. Hellen was an old lady who lived on her own. She was part of old money, nobody in town knew about this as she mostly kept to herself except where it concerned her father. As a young lady, Hellen had the chance to live on Meraki, but she stayed behind because she fell in love. It was short-lived as just after he died in battle. She knew why Hellen kept to herself. If word got out, she would have been robbed long ago. Lawlessness was part of life, most of the time nothing was done as no one could defend themselves.
New Hope was one of the safer towns. Eagle tribe had ranks and authority, something most tribes lacked.
She took a deep breath. She did want to get married; she wanted a family and a good life for her and Don. There was just no way that she would sit idly by and wait for something to happen while she knew that she could make a difference. She has always been fast on her feet, alert, and extremely quick with a knife.
She walked outside, the leather pants she put on were heavy and made her feel restricted.
“Good morning, Keira.”
Josh’s voice made her smile. She often imagined he was waiting for her, at twenty-eight who knew? Josh had always seemed wary of commitment.
“So I take it Don could not convince you to be a good and proper daughter.” He sighed.He was teasing, and his dimples were exposed, followed by a dazzling smile. Josh was tall, standing at 1.85m, with piercing green eyes, and sun-streaked blonde hair. The younger girls usually followed him around, and one would have to be blind not to see their intentions. She met Josh five years ago when she had just turned twenty. She and Don were traveling from town to town as he was stationed all around to establish and recruit new resistance fighters. This is the longest they have ever stayed in one place and she was happy. She also thought that Don had a soft spot for Hellen, but he would never acknowledge it.
“You mean a proper girl who learns to sow and garden from a young age? The type who sits and waits for her loving husband at home with cooked dinner?”
He lazily brushed his hair to the back, it was due for a haircut.
“If only.” He winked. “You would have been married a long time ago.”
Was he flirting with her? She never knew if he was serious or joking. “It is funny how times change. I remember there was a time when women were part of the workforce, where they had some sort of drive.”
“Nothing wrong with a lady who dotes over her hardworking husband. I do agree with having a purpose, but goodness Keira we do need something to look forward to. I know you have only been part of small takeovers and missions, but it gets grueling. The uncertainty of returning home safely always lingers in one’s mind.”
“What better way to take your mind off those thoughts than for me to join you on other missions.” There it was, she said it out loud. They have always been joking around, but she has never openly flirted back. She always just brushed him off.
“Keira?” For once Josh was quiet, as to recollect his thoughts of what just happened.
The timing was perfect as Major had just joined the group. Although they all had ranks, each group had only two distinctive leaders due to their relatively small size. Major was the senior leader and, at this stage, quite old. He was soon to be replaced by Cliff, who was being announced as the new leader. Everyone knew that Josh was going to be the second in command. Despite being young, he was a great leader who understood everyone's strengths, listened to new ideas, and was not afraid to change tactics to suit the group. They all worked as a team and spent countless hours training to perfect their techniques.
Major cleared his throat and everyone immediately quieted down and stepped closer.
“Ladies,” He eyed Keira. “And gents. We are very excited about the new changes that are coming. It is such an honor to have worked with all of you, and see the dedication and what we have achieved. For the first time in a long time, we have a chance to take back Meraki.
"We have gathered all the necessary components to finish assembling the spaceship. Now, it's the technicians' responsibility to complete their part. Look around you, because you are about to become a part of history. Space training will begin next week, and we'll start our fitness training at 5 am tomorrow." He halted and looked around. “Now the reason why we all got together this morning. It is of no surprise that Cliff will take over my position and Josh will take over Cliff’s reigns.”
Keira watched as Josh walked towards her. “Congratulations, you are surely making a name for yourself,”
“No kiss?” Josh said coming dangerously close.
She smiled and whispered in his ear. “The ladies in town might get the wrong idea.”
“I don’t mind.”
Just then they were interrupted by none other than Dorothy Perkins. She had made no secret that Josh was her first choice as a husband. She swung around and almost hit her in the face with her umbrella. An item she thought was highly overrated. For a moment she looked at their town, civilization went back in time.
She looked at Dorothy then back at Josh. “I will leave you to it, I have to go powder my nose.”
She could hear Josh smirk from behind. “You are going to have to start taking me seriously Keira Summons!”
The problem with Josh was, that she knew him too well. She knew that even if Dorothy Perkins irritated the living daylights out of him, he never gave up a good night of fun. She also knew that he was way too good at what he did, every girl that he strung along thought they were the only one. She had to admit he was clever.
“Are you ready to battle?” Sasha bumped into her.
Sasha was the only woman except for Hellen that she talked to. Sasha's striking appearance was marked by a crown of bright red, curly hair that cascaded around her face, framing her intense, piercing blue eyes. Her skin was speckled with freckles, adding to her unique beauty. But her appearance was only the beginning of what made Sasha remarkable. Her talent as a tracker was unparalleled, as it was whispered that she could identify the date, sex, and age of a culprit simply by sniffing their tracks. Her gift extended to all creatures, whether human or animal, and her skill was widely acknowledged. Sasha cast a sidelong glance at Josh and swiftly pulled her hat down to cover her eyes. Despite her fair complexion, she relished being part of the group. Sasha was always dressed in fully covered-up attire, and although she sometimes felt pity for her, that never deterred her from being true to herself. "I thought you were cleverer than that," she said as she pointed at Josh.
“I know, but he is lovely to look at. They say marriage changes a man.” Keira laughed out loud.
“Yes but is it enough? You must get yourself a hardy one, take my Buck for instance; he saw a good woman and he married her.”
Sasha waved and in the distance, she spotted Buck making his way towards them. She could tell Buck knew he married out of his league and always treated Sasha with the utmost respect. They were a strange combination but they knew how to make it work.
“How could you leave me with Dorothy?” Josh was out of breath.
“Stop playing with the girl’s feelings and marry her already.” Sasha looked at her.
“I have asked her countless times but she just would not budge.”
“I am talking about Dorothy; Keira is too good for you,” Sasha said rolling her eyes.
“You have to be kidding me, I have nothing in common with Dorothy. She is already smothering me and we are not even friends.”
“Josh, stop being an idiot. All your sneaking around is going to catch up to you one of these good days, and if it happens, please call me I am going to stand in the crowd and tell you I told you so. By the way, I have talked some sense into this girl, there is a line of men waiting. You with your bad habits should be dead last in line for her hand in marriage.”
Josh eyed Sasha. “Maybe I am having fun until the day that Keira eventually accepts me. She is immune to whatever I have tried so far.”
“You are dumber than I thought, this poor flirtatious charade that you are putting on only works on prey that do not know you are a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” She grabbed Buck’s hand. “It is men like you that make me so thankful that I am married.”
Josh exhaled. “Why do you hate me so much?”
His comment fell on deaf ears as Sasha had already turned around and walked away.
“There is some truth in what she says.” She has never been straightforward with Josh. It has come to a point where she is scared that this little crush of hers may end up getting her in trouble.
Despite their light-hearted dynamic, which often includes playful references to marriage and future events, there were moments when she couldn't help but acknowledge the sincerity in Josh's words. She had genuine feelings for him, and while she wasn't necessarily planning to tie the knot anytime soon, the idea of getting married was something she could see herself looking forward to in the future.
"I agree with you," Josh said, his expression turning serious. "There's a lot I want to tell you, but you have to trust me when I say that you're special. Everything Sasha said is true."
She was surprised to see Josh looking shy, as he was usually bursting with confidence. “Look Josh….”
He interrupted her and said, ‘Please keep that thought. It has taken so much courage to tell you what I just did. If you have to reject me, I hope you'll do it properly. The dance is on Friday. Would you do me the honor of joining me? You don't even have to buy a dress. I'll send everything over. If you agree, I'll pick you up from your house.'"
“And if I don’t agree?”
“Then you would have to send out Don to be the bearer of bad news.”
After training, she took a long shower. She felt tired, and although she knew she wasn't going to hurt now, she was sure she would feel it tomorrow morning. Don was already busy in the kitchen, and surprisingly, he was in a chirpy mood despite the early hour.“That is what you get for joining the men’s workforce.” He was whistling a tune while busying himself with the potato broth in front of him.“You are way too friendly for an old chap waiting for his daughter to come home.”Don ignored her last statement and just carried on with setting the table. “So I take it your old fella is the only one going to the dance on Friday.“I might be going.”There was a long pause. “Oh? A frown emerged on his forehead. “Josh the reason for your change of heart?”She combed her fingers through her damp hair. “It is not that I had a change of heart, it is just the possibility that something might happen on one of our missions and it feels like I have not experienced life at all.”“It is normal t
Sleep evaded Keira as her thoughts were consumed by Friday's events. Things between her and Josh had changed. He did not come to visit as he usually did over weekends and she did not think it would affect her the way it did. She would have to report to him in the morning and she had no idea how he was going to react. It was just before six when they had finished fitness training. She did her best to blend in and not make any noticeable mistakes to bring attention to her. Josh was fully in control and mentioned where everyone could improve. He did not so much as look at her, she knew he was intentionally ignoring her gaze. After training each got a written manual just to familiarize them about the spaceship. There were a lot of listed safety protocols and how to handle the g-force with lift-off. Luckily by the time that people inhabited Meraki Space travel was a norm, and with added technology, it got easier and quicker so that the normal person on the street could be trained
"Do you think he will make it?"Keira was busy eating a piece of toast."Josh has a strong will, and Doctor Atkins knows what he is doing. Don't worry he will make it, for now,lets focus on the current developments.' Don touched her shoulder."Who is going to handle the interrogations?" She knew the answer to the question, but she asked anyway. Don could not help himself, he was born for this it was in his blood. He did not handle retirement with grace."Major is going to stand in for Josh and I believe that at this stage I will help out." He combed his hands through his hair. "We are short-handed at this stage, and as you know new rookies keep on streaming in. I think that is the reason for the attack last night, we are getting too much exposure at this stage. People talk, that is the problem. By now most tribes know our plans everyone wants a part of it. Whether you want safety or to gain riches people talk.""So are you going in alone?""I can talk to Major and ask if you c
There was a sense of exhilaration brewing inside of her. She did not know if it was due to the liftoff day drawing closer or that she was about to do her first interrogation. Some raiders were merciless they had no value for life. She always wondered what drove people to do certain acts. Can one human be that cruel, or did life make them numb to violence and hurt? She had to remember that the suspects were probably the same and she should handle them accordingly. Don was quiet but she understood, she knew he had to do things in his past that he was not proud of. It's funny how you are seen as a hero when you do unspeakable things. She saw it behind the curtains of his eyes, she read it in the way he drifted off sometimes or small things like how he looked at his hands. She knew that Don did not want this for her but if she did pursue it she needed to be prepared in any situation. It was for her protection. "Are you ready?" Don broke the silence. "It is still early so it gives us en
Every muscle she had inside her body was on fire. It was worth it she thought as she looked at the group. A couple of days had passed since she last saw Josh and she welcomed the break. There was no space for distractions, the thought of him made her shudder. Their last encounter had awakened a lot of mixed feelings within her. Major had separated the weak from the strong. They were divided into different categories, she was now part of the elite, like a group of titans who would strike fear in the minds of anyone they would encounter. They were as one, moving swiftly through every course taking into account any new danger that could lurk behind dark corners. Long nights of planning brought in different outcomes to take into account. She was motivated and had one goal; save her people and take control over Meraki.She grabbed her water bottle and splurt the remainder over her head. The group had dismantled, there was no more friendly bickering the air seemed different. It
Josh did not take rejection lightly. "Sutton!" He shouted. "How many times do I have to repeat this? Aim for the nose, not the eye. You want to inflict pain not give the guy a black eye!""There is no problem with my aim." She said a bit too loud. More like the instructor she thought. "Excuse me? What did you say? Get down and give me twenty, and that counts for everyone who questions my authority.""Who rattled his cage?" Sasha whispered from above. "Don't ask." Josh knew everyone's strengths and focused on improving techniques. For someone his age he was well-rounded, it was like he had an extra sense. The night he got injured was the first time she had seen him harmed reminding her that teamwork was a must. No matter how good you were even if you were the best at something we all need help sometimes. Days went by, there were only a select few who knew that construction of the ship continued at night. It was now ninety percent complete which meant the day drew near
Keira stayed with Sasha till the morning sun's rays greeted them. Sasha would have sudden bursts of tears and then moments of total silence. Some say that depression to them is complete isolation a feeling of extreme loneliness and disconnection from the world or people. Sasha did not need to speak about it, her eyes told her about the total lack of sleep that she endured. She wondered if Sasha would heal with time, or if the memory of Buck would make her want to escape reality. Sasha was like an empty shell, what once filled her with life was the presence of Buck. Sasha's life consisted of routine and habits nothing was done without Buck, he was her only family. Keira sat for long staring at Sasha, she had a meeting with grief. She never knew the weight of sorrow as now. As Sasha moved through the house Keira felt its presence and she could not help to be affected by it. How do you move on from this? Do you use words, try to erase all memories of him, or make Sasha go back to traini
"Exhaustion." Doctor Atkins stood next to Sasha's bed. His eyes seemed tired under the black-rimmed glasses. "Then what about the pills that I have found?" Keira looked at her friend, her face seemed sunken. Her lively red curls seemed oily and unattended. Her freckles were prominent on her white skin. "I assume she didn't get to that. She is also dehydrated." Doctor Atkins was busy writing something on a piece of paper. "I would keep her here for a couple of days for observation. As far as I know, she does not have family, is there anyone she could stay with?" "She can stay with me. Doctor your honest opinion, how long will she be like this?" "Keira the thing is, as you know I am a doctor. I deal with bodily injuries and sickness, physical, and mental I can give you a prescription, but it won't fix the problem." She walked over to touch Sasha's hand. Her hand was cold, she put them between hers and started warming them up. "It depends on her will to live." Doctor At