Chapter 18

Sam flew down into an alley and started running between buildings.  The patroller over her circled around to go back to where she went into the alley.  She kept running for a while until everything was silent above her.  Jumping between the buildings she scaled the walls to peek over the top and get her bearings on where she was headed.  She was actually just a few minutes away from the big port that she was heading to.  She dropped back down and started running again to get to the building.  She was thankful she ran as fast as she did because when she needed to clear a busy area she just jumped over them and continued her run.  Occasionally she would hear a scream from someone not paying attention who would be caught off guard by 5 foot cat demon landing close to them and running off at 60 to 80 miles per hour.

Sam got to the side of the port complex and started looking around for a loose panel or a doorway.  She didn’t want to make too much noise in case someone was listening but she would do whatever she had to.  To her luck she found a loose vent not too far away.  Loose was a relative term, she still had to break a bolt to get it open, but that was better than bending it out of the way and much less conspicuous.  She crawled a ways through the duct until she found another vent leading inside the port area.  

Sam was glad her strength allowed her to act much like a spider and cling to ducts and pipes to move around rather than flying around the space.  It was harder to get around but easier to move hidden.  She made her way to the ground and started moving around to where she saw crates and containers.  All of the containers were locked and it would be suspicious if she broke a lock but a crate could be opened and she could slip in to hide.  

She found an area with some larger crates and thought they would be perfect to hide in unrestricted.  The first one she opened however had a pile of dead antelope.  Wrinkling her nose she moved away to a different crate.  This one she couldn’t get open and didn’t want to force it so she moved to another and opened it to see feline cubs of some breed. They were red with green stripes and did not look very healthy.  Sam got an idea and went to the crate with the dead antelopes and pulled one out, dragging it with her to the one with the cubs.  The cubs looked up at her this time and she lowered the antelope in.  The cubs all pounced on the meat hungrily and Sam slipped in with them, closing the lid behind her.

She was glad she did because shortly after she did the crates started to move.  Sam peeked out through a hole and apparently the lot of crates was on a skid that was going somewhere together.  Once the antelope was a pile of bones a few of the cubs turned to Sam like the little predators they were and started stalking her.  Sam just bared her fangs and growled at them and they shrank back.  One of them, though, took an interest in Sam.  It seemed to be the smallest of the bunch so she either figured it was a runt or from another litter.  Either way it was brave and playful, coming up and batting at Sam’s tail feathers.  She twitched her tail a few times to play with the cub but then it pounced on her tail and sank its teeth into the meat above her feathers.

Sam shrieked a bit, not expecting the bite which was actually quite painful, and pulled the cub off her tail.  It pawed at her face like nothing just happened and Sam couldn’t help but think it was adorable.  She had no time to keep a pet though.  As far as she knew she was going to be on the run or living in the wilderness for a while.  That was when the cub started making some strange noises.  Sam cocked her head, focusing on the cub before realizing something.

“Sister!  Winged sister!”

Oh god it could talk.  The cat things had their own language.  This was only a cub though, how much dialogue could they come up with?

Apparently a full language because Sam had a full repertoire to speak back, “hello little one.  Why do you call me winged sister?”

“Winged ones are friends!  We fight with.  Sometimes bond.  Mother told us.”

“Why are you in this box?”

The boxes were finally loaded into a ship and the doors were closed behind it.  Sam sighed internally knowing she was finally leaving this place behind.  Where she was going was beyond her though.

“Taken from mother.  Haven’t seen winged ones in many years.  Mother told stories of them.  Stories of hunts side by side.  Glorious days.”

“I haven’t met my kind yet.  I’m all alone.  Are there any left?”

“Few.  Hide in caves.  Armored ones protect.  Don’t come out.”

“So I have sisters?”

“No sister. Only brothers.  You only sister!”

“Oh. Well that can’t be good.”

“You tough!  Can tell!  Push brothers around.”

“Hah! I like your enthusiasm.  We will see if I ever meet them.”

“You will. Not now, but will.”

The ship shuddered as it lifted off, breaking the atmosphere without much effort and settling into a hyperdrive slip to travel to its next destination.  Sam smiled at the cub and changed the subject as they moved away from the planet.

———————————

The purple furred individual snapped his eyes open and shook his head.  He looked around the room at the admin and looked down, “she has left the planet.  I couldn’t track her.  Her mind is powerful and has stronger blocks than any I had tried to track before.  I could not get a lock.  I do not think she even consciously is trying to block me out which is the scary part.  Who is this girl I was tracking?”

The fox admin took back the burnt scrap of cloth with a drop of blood on it and stashed it in the plastic bag again.  This was their last ditch effort.  Their target was too fast and too strong to capture.  Now that she was off world and on who knows which ship. They were never going to find her.  First thing was first though.  The black lizard man that attacked Sam earlier was dragged into the room in shackles.  He was cursing the whole way.

“Don’t you pricks know who my dad is?  You’ll all pay once he hears ab— oh hi dad.”

The lizard of admin, this one red, tapped his claws on the desk.  He did not look pleased in the slightest.  The other three looked at him curiously to see how he would handle this one since it was his son that had tried to assault Sam.

“You heard the orders. Do not shoot or ASSAULT the white winged female.  No matter how much she looked like a Vey’Ral you were to leave her alone. You heard these orders.  Recording of your monitor has you stating back these orders specifically.  Do you have any idea what your actions have done?”

The black one spit on the ground, “you have grown soft.  They do not deserve special treatment.  No matter what gender they are.  Vey’Ral is Vey’Ral.”

The red did not seem perturbed, “I agree. A Vey’Ral is a Vey’Ral.  But the white winged one was not a Vey’Ral.  She was a Kor’Ran.  And you should be counting your stars she did not rip your spine out for pissing her off.  They are half Drakorna and half Ren’Dal.  Very strong race and considered amongst royalty in the galaxies not run by Drazlith.  That one we think was descended from Queen Arlan herself.”

Suddenly black was more grey in tone than the deep black he was before.

“Furthermore, for your actions against her, since she was royalty and had diplomatic immunity, you are hereby under arrest for aggravated assault.  Your sentencing will be in 3 weeks.  Take him away.”

“You can’t do this! We didn’t know! We thought it was a—“

The door shut and the admin were placed back in silence.  The elf woman spoke up for the rest of them, “I think at this point we should take our leaves.  Fren, she found your daughter and brought her to the hospital.  Ssthrak had to arrest his son over this.  Before anything else bad happens, let’s go home.  Meet back here in 3 months or send out a message if word of the Kor’Ran female gets out.”

They all agreed and stood to leave.  Fren looked out the window across the city.  This female was going to shape the way things were but they hoped to get to her before everyone else. They needed her on their side.  Someone needed to stand up to Arlan and the Emperor.