Chapter 51: Rescue Part 1

Shooter

You never know exactly how a new form will adapt. Some are better suited to teleporting and our other abilities. I was prepared for this jump to be a bit rough, which was one reason I went alone. However, to my surprise and delight, it felt as natural as breathing.

I landed in a cold cell. The only light was coming in through the cracks around the door. No one was around to see my sudden appearance accept for the man hanging by his wrists against the wall. His head was hanging down, possibly unconscious and undisturbed by my arrival.

I approached quickly on silent feet and gently shook his shoulder. "Hey, wake up." I whispered.

His head jerked and raised to look at me. Fear followed by confusion colored his bruised face.

"Who are you?" He whispered. "If this is some new interrogation, I swear, I know nothing of the rebellion or my blood relatives involvement."

"Well, I know your mom and one of your brothers, and they want to get you out of here."

His eyes widened and he whispered something under his breath I couldn't understand. It must have been another language.

"What was that?" I whispered back, leaning in as I tugged at the chains holding him and examined the collar around his neck.

He repeated the line. This time, I read his thoughts to understand the meaning. He was asking if I was telling the truth.

"Yes, I promise. They're safe, and I'm gonna help get the rest of your family too. Do you have anyone special--" my question was cut off as he kicked me away from him.

I stumbled back, a little surprised but managing to keep my voice down as I snapped back, "what the hell? I'm helping you."

He just glared back, clenching his jaw.

I reached out to his mind again but felt only a wall. He knew how to block telepathic communication.

I walked up to him so I could keep my voice low. "Look, I get you don't trust me, but I'm here to help. Your cooperation isn't really required, but if there is anyone nearby you want to take with you, this is your chance to let me know."

"Tell whichever master you serve that I have no one and nothing to give." His eyes met mine and seemed almost pleading.

"What? I don't serve a master. I'm not..." It dawned on me that I was in a Nehwalian form so he had no reason to think I was anything else. That's usually helpful, but I seemed to be missing something. "I swear I really am here to help you escape."

"It's a good act, but I'm tired, can you just tell them you did your best and leave me alone." He seemed drained and pleading even more so now. "Or are they watching?" In an even lower voice he said somthing in the same strange language, but this time I couldn't read his mind to understand.

"No one is watching. This isn't a trick."

He sighed and hung his head. "I've told you everything. I can't lead you to the rebels. I have no way of contacting them. I know there's no escape from here." He barely bothered to lower his voice and seemed completely defeated.

"Ok... This isn't going anywhere. We'll have to finish this conversation later." I could sense footsteps approaching quickly and figured some security system had noticed me. I put my hands on his shoulders and wrapped my energy around him, sneaking it between the cuffs on his wrists and the collar around his neck. Leaving those behind may be difficult, but I seemed to have even more control than usual over my energy and it felt possible.

"What are--" his voice caught as I pulled him from the space we were in and landed on the soft mossy ground next to the other Nehwalians.

He gasped and struggled to catch his breath from the sudden change, blinking his eyes against the bright light of the sun. I helped hold him up as his legs buckled under him.

"Hevoril..." His mother called softly, almost questioningly. She reached out a hand tentatively while holding back tears.

The man blinked and stared at her for a second. "Mom? Is this real?"

She nodded and said something in what I assumed was the same language he'd used earlier.

He smiled and half laughed as tears fell and he stumbled from my hand to his mom and brother. They embraced for a long minute.

"Why didn't you say?" The man turned to me with a dumbfounded expression.

"I literally did. Well, not how we'd get here but--"

"But you didn't respond in Nehwalian, so I assumed it was a trick and you were just following orders."

"Oh! It's like a secret code or something. That's clever. Yeah, so I'm not actually one of you, they'll explain." I waved off his confused look. "So I'm gonna get your daughter then her baby next and bring them here, then I'll go get the younger kids. That may be a bit harder..."

"I'll go with you. I can fight, and I can get the others to cooperate." The warrior offered.

"No, I'll go, it's my family. And while I may not have been trained for combat, I know how to fight." The woman said, resolute.

"None of you need to fight. This is snatch and grab and if anyone does attack, I'll handle it. But you can come to get your kids so it goes smoother. Thankfully, this new form is working great! It's like it's amplifying my abilities so I think I can get a few more jumps in." I smiled brightly and offered my hand. The mother took it and stepped close to me. Her sons started to protest but she held her hand up to silence them.

"Hevoril is injured. Take care of him, Naro." I pulled her with me as I jumped before they could argue. Having someone connected to the destination did actually make the jump easier, even factoring in the extra effort to transport another person.

We landed a few feet behind a young woman on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor of what looked like barracks.

"Lilayra." The woman turned at the sound of her mother's voice and her face blanched. Her mother spoke quickly and softly in their language and held out a hand. Her daughter barely hesitated before rushing over and taking it.

"You can really get my baby girl, too?"

I nodded and followed her thoughts back to her child and teleported us there. A woman gasped as we appeared in the nursery. She must have been in charge of looking after the babies. She picked up the one whose diaper she'd been changing and stared in bewilderment and fear, but didn't scream.

The older woman spoke quickly in their language again. I watched the other woman's face drain of color as she listened. Meanwhile, the young mother was looking between the bassinets until she let out a soft cry and scooped up a fussing baby that immediately calmed down.

"Can you get an these children out of here?" The caretaker asked. "None of them have mothers to care for them, or were taken away from their mothers for some reason or another. I've been tasked with taking care of them until they can be put to work."

There were five little ones. "Everyone grab a baby." I went to the farthest cradle and picked up a babbling baby chewing on his foot. Then grabbed the little one standing on unsure legs in the next cradle before returning to the older woman who'd picked up the baby nearest her, and her daughter holding her own child.

The caretaker came over and started to pass the baby in her arms over to the older woman, who responded with, "You can't stay. You'll be blamed for them going missing."

The caretaker froze then looked up at me. "She's right. One more passenger isn't gonna hurt. Is there anyone else you can't bare to leave?"

The look on her face told me everything. She didn't want to leave anybody behind, but there was no one in particular. The ones she cared for were her family. She reluctantly shook her head. I gestured for her to step closer and swallowed the knot in my throat. I couldn't rescue everyone right now. There were more people, more children, in this facility, but getting them all out would put lives in danger, including my own. This would have to do for now.

We landed gently on the mossy ground.

Everrie rushed over to help take a baby from my arms. "More passengers than expected?"

"Yeah, I'm a sucker for kids." I smiled at her as she kissed the little one's head. "I'll see about getting their families later." I took the little one back from her and passed both kids over to the others that had stepped forward to help.

"Let's go get your son." I took Everrie's hand and she nodded, looking up at me with those beautiful multi-blue colored eyes and a hopeful smile.

I teleported us to the small kitchen I'd seen earlier without ever breaking eye contact.

A woman yelped in surprise. "What's going on? Who are you?!"

***

Everrie

The trip was much less disorienting than before. Or maybe I just cared less. I was finally going to get my son back. Shooter kept his eyes on me during the transition. Maybe that helped steady me as well. We appeared in what looked like a servant's kitchen and startled a woman cleaning the dishes.

She had a baby tied her chest. My baby. He had grown, but he was mine. I knew him instantly. They'd forced me to ween him as soon as he start mushed food. Now I could see a couple teeth as he chewed his fist with a fussy expression. I wondered if he was crawling, or even walking by now. How much had I missed?

The woman clutched him protectively as she spun around and stared at us. She was clearly taking good care of him. I was grateful for that, but it still hurt my chest.

"Arroka." I called my son's true name and reached out to him. I told the man who sired him what I wanted his Nehwalian name to be. Hopefully he had honored that and passed it on to whoever was caring for him.

My little boy turned to look at me with those eyes as deep as the ocean. He froze for a moment, then started to babble and giggle and thrash, reaching his little hands out to me. He recognized me!

"Are you....his mother?"

I nodded in response to her question and rushed forward to hold him. I was afraid if I tried to speak I'd sob. Thankfully, she didn't protest and helped transfer him into my arms. He put his little arms around my neck and I hugged him close, taking in his size and his smell. Oh, he smelled so good! I'd resisted washing anything that had his scent on it after they took him away.

"I missed you so much! No one will ever take you away from me again!" I felt my power surge within me instinctively, though there was no one I was intending to command.

A low hum, almost a growl or a purr sounded from behind me, and Shooter stepped up next to me, gingerly reaching out to run his fingers through Arroka's hair. Was he responding to my ability?

There wasn't time to ponder it as more voices exclaimed. Several people had heard the commotion and were now in the kitchen. It looked like the woman's husband and children. At least, the children did look like a mix between them, though they may not have actually been married.

"I'm Arroka's mother. I'm taking him with me."

"So it's true? Jalis told us you tried to run away..." the man asked, staring at me in disbelief.

I couldn't help cringing a little at the mention of my son's sire. I had no right to bare ill will against him. He had at least honored my wishes about my son's name and was passing on news of my fate. It wasn't his fault his master commissioned us to have a child, or that my child had been taken from me.

"Did you join the rebellion?" The woman who'd be cradling my son asked. A mix of disbelief, terror, and perhaps a little amazement in her tone.

"Not on purpose." I looked at my son, bouncing and rocking him gently. "I just broke. My master wanted me to have another baby, just to sell..." Tears started to run down my face. "I just couldn't do it. My master sold me to punish me. The rebels intercepted the transport ship I was on, so I fought alongside them. We were captured, but made a new friend." I smiled through the tears at Shooter. "He has an amazing ability to teleport across space, even to other worlds. So, I'm taking my son somewhere he'll be safe, and free." The thought nearly made me laugh as I looked down at my child. He wouldn't have to live a life of service, or be at the mercy of others.

"You can all come, too." Shooter added, looking around to the little group. "But you have to decide now. I'm not coming back once we leave."

They all looked between each other, the children looking to their parents. Their parents met each other's eyes and then looked between each child. I could practically see them trying to calculate the risks of staying versus going.

"Where would we go? We can't take children to fight in a rebellion?"

"I can take you anywhere you want to go." Shooter explained. "You don't have to fight. You can go to a completely different system. I have friends and allies in worlds far from the reach of this dinky slave empire. They'll take you in. You'll be safe and free, I promise."

"I trust him." I added in Nehwalian so they'd know I meant it.

Both adults slowly nodded. "Are we going right now? Can we grab a few things?"

"Bring only what you can carry." Shooter gestured and they rushed to grab a few changes of clothes and personal items.

"What about the others?" The man asked. "There are half a dozen more in the servants quarters outside, and Jalis sleeps near the master's suit."

I glanced at Shooter. He groaned slightly, but nodded his head. "Go get whoever you can. But be quick and don't alert anyone who will be a problem." He took a deep breath and seemed to be doing calculations in head.

"Will you be able to manage?" I asked him quietly.

"Oh yeah." His face instantly shifted to a bright smile as he turned to me. "This form suits me really well. I can feel it adjusting every time I jump, like... It's specializing to be able to optimize my teleporting ability, making it more efficient. I think I can do maybe twice as many jumps in this form."

He looked excited. I had so many questions about him and his species. It seemed like he didn't merely look like a Nehwalian, but had a form of our specialized psychic abilities as well. I wondered if he could potentially mimic any Nehwalian ability, or only a boost to his teleport ability. What other abilities did he have? So far, I knew he could teleport, transform, and communicate telepathically to a degree I'd never seen before.

Arroka's giggles pulled me from my thoughts. Shooter was ticking his chin and making funny faces. I couldn't help but smile.

"Everrie? You really are here." The sound of Jalis' voice made me stiffen.

I glanced up at the man. Part of me was grateful he'd been here for Arroka, but what if he thought that gave him a claim to my child? Nehwalian children are supposed to belong to the mother, regardless of what any master says.

"You can't be serious about taking him. He's a baby. You'd be condemning him to a life on the run. They won't care that he's a child. Look..." He stepped towards us. I tightened my grip on my son but let him grab his wrist and fiddle with the bracelet he wore. The same we all wear.

I felt Shooter's arm wrap around me and a low growl emanated from his chest. It was reassuring knowing that he was there and would be in my side, no matter what.

I subtly shook my head and Shooter quieted down but stayed by my side. Jalis found the button he'd been searching for and the hologram of Arroka's pedigree came up. And the line connecting my profile to his was highlighted in red. A warning.

"They already flagged his pedigree. Potential mental instability and behavioral issues from his mother's side."

"Mental instability? Are you joking?" Shooter scoffed.

"She used her ability on another Nehwalian without permission. She disobeyed a direct order and physically lashed out. Then I heard you actually took up arms and fought with the rebels." He looked at me with an expression more akin to disbelief and terror than judgment.

"I broke." I stammered out in explanation. "My master wanted me to have another baby...to sell. Again. I...I just...couldn't." I half shrugged and sniffled, trying to hold back the tears. "My ability doesn't really work on people... But yeah, I resisted. I commanded another servant to stop and refused to...breed...with him. So my master sold me as punishment. The rebels intercepted the transport and I joined them because it was better than living like that. And now I have an opportunity to get my son away from this life before he has to go through anything like that, and I'm not passing that up."

"It's dangerous. And everything you do reflects on him--"

"Oh f*ck you!" Shooter scoffed again. "She's a mom! My parents would tear worlds apart to get one of us kids back if someone took us away. My dad was captured once and used in a genetic experiment, that's how we got one of my older brothers, but my dad flipped out and I think killed everyone responsible because he felt so violated. But he took in my brother, and when someone tried to take him away because he 'wasn't natural' mom tore through them. He wasn't even hers by blood, but once she decided she was his mom, that's all that mattered. And you think Everrie refusing to be raped... Again! And not being ok with her baby being ripped away from her is, what? Mentally unstable? To me, that's the only appropriate reaction." He turned to look at me. "And it doesn't sound like you broke. More like they failed to break you."

The 'good servant' part of my brain found his story and declaration terrifying. But his words still made me smile and feel a bit better, somehow. "We're born and bred to be submissive, obedient, and loyal. Nehwalians aren't supposed to have it in us to rebel."

"Well, clearly you still have a little fight in you. And I'm happy to help." He chuckled deep in his chest and smiled with a strangely soft sort of expression.

"Are you her husband?" Jalis asked suddenly. My face turned red hot and I started to step away from Shooter, but his arm held me in place.

"We only met today, but I don't need to be her partner to see how amazing and strong she is. She's earned me as a friend and I can take her, Arroka, and anyone else here wherever they want to go. Far away from this shitty slave system. I'll help fight, or help her start a new life somewhere else. She's already seen a glimpse of what I can do, so she isn't being reckless by taking her son. She's being a good mom and ensuring her child has the best chance at a good and free life."

"Can you really ensure their safety?" Jalis asked with genuine concern in his voice.

"Yes." Shooter looked at me and I felt the sensation of his mind touching mine. I sensed his intent and gave him the word in Nehwalian. "Sira."