Razing Pel

Chapter 1: The Rescue

CHAPTER ONE

THE RESCUE

            "Kaj!” a voice shouted out.  "Kaj!  Kaj!  Get up!"  The wooden floorboards creaked as hard footsteps hit them.  A middle-aged man ran up the steps and into Kaj's room.  He quickly went over to where Kaj was sleeping and viciously shook him until he got up.

            Kaj quickly jumped to his feet, facing his surprised uncle.  "Uncle, what's the problem?" The late teen asked.  Before his uncle said anything, he pointed to Kaj's sac.  He went over and slipped the strap over his shoulder, across his chest.

            "There's trouble again," his uncle proclaimed.  "Three men were seen picking on the same older man from a few days ago.  Go down there and help him!" he nodded.  Kaj zipped past his uncle, but was quickly halted when he placed his hand on his shoulder.  "If worst comes to worst, use the dagger."  Kaj nodded and quickly ran down the stairs.

            Kaj ran out onto his wooden porch that overlooked the entire village.  The whole village was in an underground cave, while Kaj's house was nudged up in the corner of the cave.  His only way down to the village was a long wire that hooked up from the roof of his house down to a small fish kiosk.  Kaj unzipped his sac and pulled out his dagger.  It had a short, curved handle that extended out and formed a circular base from where the blade curved out.  Kaj left the cover of the blade on and lifted the dagger over the wire, grabbing the other side.  He then jumped off his porch as he zipped down the wire.  Zipping down to the ground below, he tried to spot the area as to where the trouble was.

            As Kaj neared the bottom, he let go of the one side of his dagger, and he dropped to the rocky floor, landing on his feet.  Kaj looked around until he saw the three men, kicking the older man while he was on the ground.  He dashed through the short alleys and leaped at the bigger one of the three, knocking him to the ground.

            The other two noticed that their friend had been knocked down and quickly left the old man to go after Kaj.  They went over and each grabbed Kaj's arms and threw him back.  The two men helped their injured friend up.  He dusted off his knees and arms.

            "Ok!  What the heck man!" the bigger goon said as he wiped the blood from under his nose.  The three walked over to Kaj as he was down on his back.  "Oh, well if it isn't this little twerp again."  Kaj quickly jumped to his feet, but the three men quickly surrounded him.  "Nowhere to go now."

            As Kaj knew that he was in trouble this time, his uncle's wise words appeared in his head, If worst comes to worst, use the dagger.  Kaj slipped the cover off the blade and swung it around at the three goons.

            They all stepped back, with their hands in the air.  "Alright, alright," the bigger goon said.  "You're lucky that dagger saved you again Kaj.  If the Galactic Soldiers knew that you had a weapon down here, you'd be banished to the surface.  Come on guys, let's go."  The three goons took off.

            Kaj knelt down to pick up the cover from his blade, sliding it back on.  Placing it back in his sac, he then jogged over to the poor old man who was lying on the ground in pain.  Kaj lowered down and saw the older man's face, blood oozing from his nose and his left eye swollen.

            "Are you ok?" Kaj asked as he pulled out a rag and started to wipe the fresh blood from under the man's nose.  He didn't respond.  "Hey, are you alright?"

            The older man opened his eyes to see Kaj with a bloody rag.  "Oh, it's you again," the older man proclaimed.  "Please son, help me over to that bench."  Kaj helped the injured man up and over to the bench.  Kaj handed the older man the rag as he continued to wipe the blood away.  "Thank you again young man.  If only more people like you lived here.  When I was young, and before the Oce attacked, my friends and I used to play on the surface of our planet - filled with green grass and lively plants, with the two suns shining down on the surface.  And that sky, I can see it now, those fluffy clouds and the animals flying around.  It was a wonderful time.  I feel sorrow for you young man.  You seem like the kind of boy who would enjoy that, but unfortunately cannot."

            Kaj leaned forward, his hands together as he looked down.  "I hear ya," Kaj said.  "My life has changed since my parents went missing.  I barely remember living in United City.  At least there you could still see the sky."

            "United City you say!" the old man blurted out.  "That's where I grew up.  I hear it's the last surface city on Pel.  There's some type of shield around the city that prevents the Oce from getting in.  I believe the Galactic Soldiers set it up."

            Kaj hardly paid attention to what the older man was saying.  Thinking about his parents brought back dark memories.

            As the two continued to talk about their memories, they hadn't noticed that two Galactic Soldiers had walked up to them.  They both wore shiny white suits that covered their bodies.  The two wore dark helmets, from which their faces were blocked out.

            "What's going on here?" the one Galactic Soldier said.

            Kaj got up from the bench.  "This older man was attacked again by the same three goons."

            The one Galactic Soldier looked at the other and said, "Take this Daj to the medical facility."  The soldier walked over to the older man and helped him up and over to the facility.  "And as for you, the curfew is coming up.  It'd be smart if you went home."

            Kaj looked up into the Galactic Soldiers' helmet, trying to see a face.  The Galactic Soldier looked back at him over his shoulder, challenging him to defy his orders.  Kaj spotted the "GS" engraved on the back of the Galactic Soldiers suit - glowing a neon green color.

            Kaj watched the Galactic Soldier walk off and go back to his base.  He then turned and looked up at his home.  The jumble of stairs he had to climb to reach back to his house was a mess.  Brushing off his shoulder, he proceeded home.