Devotion (Chosen by the Karal #5)(20)

A frustrated Okil stood and watched the countdown, occasionally turning to look out of the door. And then he saw Tikki, Charlie in her arms, running along the corridor. Darl was behind her, pointing forward and mouthing something. Thirty seconds left.

Okil held his hand over the door release button, as soon as the clock hit zero he hit it and ran out. Heading to where the cruiser was docked, he was thankful to find it waiting. Ducking inside, he saw Tikki and Reja in their seats; Charlie’s small face could just be seen peeking out.

“What happened?” Okil asked.

“I came out of decon’. I was asked why we had two females on board. I told him there had been some mix-up and that your female had been loaded and then another had been chosen by the lottery and we could not change things.”

“And the alarm?” Okil asked.

“Well, he was going to go and check again. It seemed he had orders to detain us until you had talked to the Hier Commander...”

“So I hit the alarm,” Reja said.

“Quick thinking,” Darl said, smiling at her. “I don’t think we had the luxury of time in there, do you?”

“No. Maybe not. It’s just lucky you hit the right button, Reja. Also, I hope we haven’t made it worse. What if we are searched when we reach Karal?” Okil asked.

“Well, I have been thinking about that,” Darl said quickly. “What if we take the first-aid kit out of the compartment and swap things around. They wouldn’t be looking for a child. No one would think you were stupid enough to bring a child down to the planet. So if we can hide him away, I doubt they will do a thorough check.”

“It’s worth a try,” Okil said. “Let’s see what we can do, but we have to go down to Karal as quickly as we can. We must try to maintain our calm and not put any more scrutiny on us.”

“Agreed.”

Darl quickly took out the first-aid kit; then they removed some blankets and assorted ropes. Okil stowed them away where he could until they had made a small crawl space in one of the lockers.

“He can’t go in there,” Tikki said, examining the space. It was just big enough for Charlie, but only just.

“We might not need it, but we do need to have a plan. We have raised suspicion.” Okil took her in his arms, happy that they were together and one step closer to success. “It might be nothing. They may let it pass. I don’t know.”

“Have you ever broken one of your rules before, Okil?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No. I have always obeyed our rules and our laws.”

“I can see why your Hier Council don’t want too many humans on your planet. We will breed disorder and dissent.” She smiled up at him. “I have always been a bad influence.”

“Get a room, you two,” Reja said, laughing. “And just FYI, she has always been a bad influence over me. That’s why I’m here.”

Tikki almost laughed too. “Thanks, Reja. Spoil the moment, why don’t you.”

“What is FYI?” asked Darl.

“For your information,” Reja said slowly.

“Ahh,” Darl said, storing it away for future use.

“Reja, I think you and Darl are going to have some fun. He soaks up anything to do with your Earth culture.” Okil let go of Tikki and went round making sure everything was secure, while Darl went to the control deck and started the engines.

“I think we will have plenty of fun,” Reja said blushing.

“Now who needs a room,” said Tikki quietly.

“Oh my goodness. Yes, please,” Reja said, as they buckled themselves into their seats.

“Come and sit down, Charlie. Let’s get your seat belt on.” Okil watched the young boy, now no longer afraid of him, as he climbed into his seat and helped put the seat belt around him. “There, how does that feel?”

“OK.” Charlie looked up into his face, and Okil couldn’t help the colours that flew across his face. This boy was a reminder of how high the stakes were for Earth and Karal. He was the symbol of how their planets and their people needed to work together. For Karal, he was a reminder of the children they would never have if they did not mate with humans. For Earth, he made it obvious why the Karal had to help humans find a new home, or there would be few children like Charlie born again.





Chapter Fourteen – Tikki


Tikki was sure she was going to be sick. A mixture of nerves and excitement overloaded her already frazzled senses. In the far distance, she could see a beautiful planet, not unlike Earth. It had a violet tinge, making it look stunning against the darkness of space. Behind it, much further away, she could see two vast suns orbiting each other.

“Wow,” Charlie said, his face lit up with excitement, pointing to the planet. “Is that where the aliens live?”

“Yes, it is.” Tikki caught on to his excitement, which grew the closer they got.

“Is that where we are going to live?” Charlie asked.

“Yes. Well, for a while at least, they might not let us stay. So let’s think of this as a holiday.” Tikki prayed Karal would be their new home. It was obvious that Okil would never let them go back to Earth, unless he knew it was totally safe. She doubted that would ever be the case, since she had no idea exactly who it was who was chasing them or how deep the conspiracy went.