Chapter 5

As the blast cleared, Relda heard Raylay scream Ozla's name. A ship the shape of a sea mammal descended, and a stream of light appeared. It extracted a rounded object on a string from the planetary surface. Then the ship swallowed the light, and when the ship had gained enough altitude, the sky swallowed the ship.

Now Relda was alone. Again. Well, not totally alone. The greedy, self-absorbed intruders from Quadrant 3 were still there. Despair flooded her soul, and the weight of it pulled her to the ground. Raylay shook Ozla, and wailed, "Come on, sis. You gotta wake up. Please!"

"It's no use, man," Ty--a slim brown adolescent, choked out between sobs.

Raylay zeroed in on Relda and jerked his head backward.

"What are you called?"

"Relda," she said. "Tenner."

"Raylay Kenwood," he introduced himself.

"You can't talk to the natives here," Ty scolded.

"That's my buddy Ty Cole," Raylay said, rolling his eyes.

With gentle movements, he closed Ozla's eyes and said, "That was my twin sister, Ozla."

Relda let her body relax. She sat up and straightened her posture.

"Why is someone going to kill you?" She questioned.

"My father," Raylay explained in haste. "Look, do you need a ride or something? It's freezing out here."

Relda turned her gaze skyward, and she released a shaky breath.

"I need to go to Quadrant 3," she said. "Much as I hate it."

She lowered her eyes. Raylay and Ty exchanged wide-eyed glances. Raylay breathed out a whistle and used his thumb to point inside the transport.

"Well, get in." He agreed, and cleared a space in the passenger cabin.

Nodding to Ty, he said, "Put Ozla's body in the cryo unit."

Relda clutched her cloak. It was now or never.