Us and Them

By AprilJester

Iron Bell Log

Old Earth Time: 1400 03-Dec-2425

Our cloaked ship is currently en route to the Andromeda sector, even though we are on the run from that Boss. The spy we had rescued some months ago sent a cryptic message that, once deciphered, pointed us toward their head mechanic, Kate Foxwell. She is in an underground bunker on Thermokryo, the second planet from the star in that sector.

There is an active civil war there between two brothers, each controlling half of the planet. The queen, their mother, tends to let them deal with it on their own. All three beings are exceedingly powerful, and we will do our best to stay out of their way. We hope to get Kate and get out of the star system as quickly as possible.

All the members of this ship are personally dealing with the loss of someone very special to us, Nana. Eleanor was the grandmother of Harry Rigby, but had adopted us, treating us as her dearest family. Her sudden death had hit us hard. However, life goes on, and we have things to do–and a galaxy boss who wants us dead. Nana would want us to focus on that for the moment.

Once we have eliminated the threat the Andromeda boss has become to us, we will properly mourn and celebrate the life of our dear Nana.

—

"Our informant on the ground has given coordinates, and we will land in one hour," the Major said over the ship's comm.

Oscar, the head enforcer and trainer of this band of misfits, walked into the common room within seconds of the announcement.

"I want everyone dressed and ready to go within thirty minutes," he stated firmly. "Go wash your face and get your head together."

Killie, the young systems officer and technology prodigy, was the first to move. As she walked past Oscar and out the door, her sniffles echoed clearly through the silent room.

Charlie, the ammunition expert and therapist of the group, stared at the huge man seated a cushion away, who had not lifted his head from his hands. Harry was grieving the hardest, as it was his grandmother, and she had raised him after the death of his parents when he was four.

Charlie stood before he reached out, tucking a hand underneath Harry's arm and drawing him to his feet. Not a word was said as they left the room.

While Oscar was concerned about the mental well-being of his primary source of brute strength, he knew Harry would be in expert hands with Charlie.

The only one left in the room was their newest member: the witch, Lily. She was staring out the port side windows at the endless expanse of space.

He gave her a minute to collect herself before speaking.

"How are you coping, Lily?" Oscar asked softly, not wanting to disturb the stillness surrounding him.

A flare of power swirled around in the small space as the girl took a deep breath.

As usual, her beauty overcame Oscar, but he hid it well. She was a few years younger than him, and because of her years spent in that despicable academy, he knew she was not mentally ready for any type of relationship. He would just be there for her when she was.

His own upbringing would need to come to light someday. He hoped she would not see it as a negative.

"Do not tell Harry," Lily said softly, "but because I helped her say her last goodbyes when she transitioned, I have a new sense of her and some of her memories. It makes me mourn her passing deeply, even though we had not met until that moment."

When she looked at Oscar, he waved her over. He held his arms open as she approached.

She gladly sank into them, needing that tight hug as much as he did.

Neither heard the Major enter the room.

"It's time to get ready. We will all be leaving the ship for this one. Lily, you and Killie will stay by my side as the men set out to find our contact."

Even with the Major waiting, Oscar did not release Lily until she was ready to let go. When her hands moved, however, he slowly backed away.

Both men watched as she gave a quick bow before leaving the room.

"You need to break her of that habit. She does not need to bow to anyone, ever," the Major said with a bit of malice.

Lily's training in certain things angered them all, as she no longer needed to be subservient to anyone.

"It's a work in progress, Major," Oscar said as he stared at the empty doorway. "She will get there."

—

Upon disembarking in the empty field surrounded by forest, the team of the Iron Bell took a slow intake of the humid air of what seemed to be a rainforest of some kind. It contrasted with the snowcapped rolling hills within sight. They all thought this planet was strange. None of them had ever seen a weather system that could have heat and cold within steps of each other. There did not appear to be seasons here, either.

"The witchy witch was late," came a female voice from within the trees.

"She had a date," the Major responded bluntly.

He scanned the area with his eyes. There did not seem to be any serious trouble present.

"Hello to you," said the same voice.

A young woman stepped out from the forest. She had short red hair, and was clad in a dark red tunic space suit.

"I am called Sissy, and will be your guide here. Let us be on our way. We are currently standing in the battle zone between the brothers."

She indicated the way to go.

"Why would you have us land here if it was dangerous?" the Major interjected.

"It is the only spot where the field is big enough and the cameras will not pick you up. No one comes to this area voluntarily. The ship is safe; we are not."

Sissy moved at a sprint towards where the snow and heat met, and the crew of the Iron Bell had no choice but to follow.

Upon getting closer to their apparent destination, they saw an entrance that must go underground, as there was no room to stand up inside. Sissy opened the door with a touch code password and waved the crew in.

The tunnel was well-lit and made of wood, with lights strung through it. Looking around, the members of the Iron Bell could not see how the lamps were lit up. There were no wires connecting them, nor any means to give them power. The Major turned to Lily, who just barely moved her head in a positive motion.

She felt magic in the air.

"It will only take a few minutes to arrive at the meeting room, where we can plan what needs to be done to get Kate out of here. I know she is pretty desperate now, as she knows they will locate her as the informant soon."

"Who is she working with?" Killie asked.

It was always prudent to know ahead of time what new enemies you could make with your actions.

"Kate gives information to me, and I give it to Queen Gaia. I know Her Majesty shares some with Pipaluk, but I believe she feeds it to whatever royals would need to know. Kate doesn't have access to what is happening most of the time. Still, she has access to the movements of the higher-ups in this organization," Sissy responded hurriedly as they turned a corner into a big room with tables and chairs, along with computers and equipment on shelving against the far wall.

The Major took a glance around before speaking.

"Let's get started. The sooner we are out of here, the better."

—

Creating a plan took longer than necessary, as Sissy vetoed most of what the team wanted to do.

"You cannot just enter with guns blazing! It doesn't work that way here!" Sissy exclaimed for the third time. "You need to go big or low. Either sneak in and out without a shot, or blow something to kingdom come and let the brothers arrive to find out what is going on. The chaos would give you an avenue of escape."

It was obvious which way Sissy was leaning toward, but the Major wasn't so sure.

"Might I suggest letting me see if I can get into their computer systems now that I am on the planet and have more access to local towers?" Killie asked pointedly.

Sissy waved her to a console on the other side of the table.

As the young girl's fingers flew over the keyboard, Lily stepped up toward Sissy.

"I was wondering if you could tell me what type of magic you use. It doesn't feel bad. I just can't seem to identify the source."

"All the members of my family are born with access to the magic in the magnetic structure of the planet. We are not part of the royal family, more akin to caretakers–even though we don't work or have any real affiliation with Queen Gaia and her sons," Sissy said distractedly as her eyes widened while watching Killie's screen, enlarged on the wall behind her. "Wow. Can you keep that open after you leave? I would love to see inside the complex!"

"I will, but I'm sure they will find the piggyback code soon enough and shut it down. Any good hacker could locate it," Killie stated as she searched through the various screens.

"There's Kate!"

Sissy pointed to a dark-haired girl who seemed to be in her mid-twenties–around the same age as Lily, but maybe a year or two older.

Killie pulled up a schematic of the entire building, and they made the plan to sneak in and out, disappointing Sissy.

—

Killie and Lily stayed in the meeting room while the men and Sissy started out toward the complex, using the underground tunneling system used by Sissy and her clan. The deserted hallways were eerily silent, and the Major noticed this.

"Why is there no one else here?" he asked.

"We are currently busy with an upcoming holiday," she said with a big smile. "My older brother overwhelms everyone and keeps us all working towards the celebration. My hope is that he is too focused to notice my absence," she stated as they rounded another corner. "Okay. The entrance I use to visit Kate is up ahead."

"Copy that," came from Killie through the earpieces each person wore. "There are three other people in the loading bay with her, even though it is the normal time for a break. Do you want me to create a distraction with a small alarm on the shuttle along the furthest wall away from your entrance point?"

"Do it," said the Major.

"Done. They are all turning towards the sound."

Sissy took the moment of distraction and opened the hatch soundlessly. She watched as the three men glanced in and saw the four mechanics headed towards the low buzzing sound.

Charlie jumped into action, grabbed the girl with a hand over her mouth, and whispered words.

"Look frightened," he commanded.

One of the others looked up at the wrong moment and immediately rushed to save his crew member.

"Back down," Harry growled in a tone that normally achieved absolute compliance.

Two of the others stopped instantly, but one kept reaching for Kate, who looked scared of the situation she suddenly found herself in.

Harry reached forward with his left hand and pulled Charlie and Kate backward, while his right came down in an arc with power behind it. The hit to the man sent him flying backward while the others watched in horror.

"Get in the shuttle," Harry commanded, using the same voice as before. The other two glanced at Kate's terrified expression before looking towards each other. They both suddenly ran in separate directions, one reaching for a panel and slamming a protruding knob against the wall.

Alarms blared everywhere.

"Now it's my way," they all heard Sissy say quietly in their ears.

Waves of flame suddenly appeared throughout the hanger bay, without the smoke that would prevent normal breathing.

"It's Prince Hephaestus!" one crewman screamed.

The main doors opened at that moment, and a flood of soldiers burst in. But seeing the flames, they stopped dead in their tracks. As they watched, the fire crept closer, burning anything flammable in its wake.

"It's getting close to the refuelers! Get out, now!" someone yelled as all the soldiers headed backward out the doors. The two crewmembers each grabbed an arm of their fallen comrade as they also headed in that direction.

"Where's Kate?" someone yelled, but she and the men were already in the tunnel with the hatch closed.

Sissy hugged her friend as she spoke.

"Prince Boreas will arrive any second. Let's get back to the main area in case these tunnels collapse. You never know what he will do when angered," Sissy said as she took Kate's hand and ran, the men of the Iron Bell one step behind.

Despite the distance from the hatch and their underground location, they felt and heard the explosion.

"That would be the prince," Sissy chuckled. "Since Prince Hephaestus had put a damper on our last holiday, I don't feel any remorse for framing him. Serves him right."

"Wow. He looks a little like Jack Frost, all covered in ice. He is handsome, though," Killie's voice said mockingly.

"Prince Hephaestus looks exactly the same, but with a flame around him. They're twins," Sissy stated as they entered the meeting room.

"Are you here to take me to safety?" Kate asked once she caught her breath.

"That we are. Pipaluk sent us," Killie smiled as she saw the relief on the young girl's face.

"Thank you, Krissy!" she said as she hugged her friend.

"Krissy?" Lily asked.

"My real name is Kristinia. Kristinia Klaus."

Charlie and Harry looked at each other before looking back at their contact on this weird planet.

"Next, you'll tell us your brother's name is Santa," Killie said, laughing.

Sissy's confused face changed drastically when a disembodied voice rang out.

"That was not very nice, Sissy."

The woman sank to one knee and lowered her head just as a flood of light entered the room.

Once it receded, a short, older woman with long, straight white hair stood a few feet away. Her formal dress was the color of grass, with brown hues going through it.

Lily immediately fell to her knees, her forehead touching the wood floor.

"You may rise, witch," the newcomer said gently. "What is your name, child?"

"Lily, your majesty."

"Welcome to my kingdom, Lily," her gaze went around the room before settling on Sissy, who was still kneeling.

"What am I going to do with you?" the Queen said mockingly. "They start enough battles on their own without you adding to the mix."

"My apologies, my queen," Sissy said in a tone that said she was anything but sorry.

The royal lady sighed exaggeratedly before telling her she could stand.

"If only my sons would realize that while there will always be an 'us' and a 'them', we are all the same. The only time they don't fight is when there is a common enemy."

She took another look at the others before settling on the Major.

"I do not believe we have properly introduced ourselves. I am Gaia, Queen of this planet."

"I am simply called Major, Your Highness. These are members of my crew. We came here to remove Kate before anyone found out about her," the Major said as the queen nodded.

Since the Major's words and explanation were simple, Sissy stepped in and introduced the rest.

"Your Majesty, may I present Killie."

Sissy pointed to the girl, who stood and nodded graciously. "This is Charlie," she said, causing him to take a cue from Killie and do the same. "And this is Harry."

Harry smiled and waved like a dufus.

The queen quirked a corner of her mouth at that, not taking the perceived insult her sons would have.

"And this is–"

Queen Gaia cut her off before she made the final introduction.

"There's no need, Sissy. We've met."

Everyone in the room turned to Oscar at that moment, who did not flinch under their stares.

"How is your mother, Prince Oscar?"