Unbelievable heavy rain pounded the surrounding lands near Kiluana's ranch. Hideous dark clouds covered the sky and fierce winds threatened all in its path. The rainfall became so thick over night that it was almost impossible to distinguish day from night. With a huge yawn, Braya leaned against the wall of the porch. Occasional drops of rain tapped against her legs.
After spending the entire night on guard, she wanted very much to sleep, but duty prevented this. Clara could come at any time, and Braya was the only one who had any chance to stop her. But how she would do it wasn't exactly certain. The creator of Newhope and Aster bestowed great power to Clara. Given some mild preparation, she could be destructive on a worldwide scale. Braya was truly powerless against this, but she could talk. Maybe Clara could be convinced that her desire to punish wasn't reasonable. It was actually pretty hopeless considering how much Clara had changed lately, but Braya had to try. She couldn't simply stand down when this was all her stupid fault in the first place.
After countless hours looking through the dark clouds, there was a tug on her cloak. It was Meeki's daughter. This was odd. Miao often stared but never came so close to Braya.
“Hi Miao,” Braya said, trying to be casual.
“Hi Ms. Braya. You've been out so long, are you okay?”
“I'm fine. I don't need to sleep or eat as much as most people.”
Miao leaned against the wall to join in the watching. Braya tensed and wasn't exactly sure what to say. She hadn't personally interacted with children for hundreds of years. The simple act of staring at the sky became awkward and uncomfortable with one nearby.
“Such heavy rain, huh?” Braya said.
“Mom says it's to help the farmers, it happens every two months. I don't like it because I can't play outside when it's like this.”
Braya nodded. It was only a matter of luck that the assassinations coincided with this awful weather. Whether the luck was good or bad was yet to be seen.
Several minutes passed in silence when Miao, out of nowhere, suddenly had a question.
“Ms. Braya, you look sad. Is this Clara girl really so bad?”
Braya trembled in hearing the girl speak that name. Meeki must have told her about Clara.
“Yes, she's really bad right now, but she used to be my friend,” Braya said. “I'm really worried because she should have been here a long time ago. She doesn't waste time like this.”
“Um, isn't that good? Maybe we can run away if she's not here.”
Braya shook her head and wondered how to put it. “This is different. If she isn't here, she's could be doing something else more important.”
“Is it really bad?”
“Worse than you can imagine,” Braya said, and then sighed.
“Um, my mom really likes you. She trusts you so I think we'll be okay.”
Braya wished things were that simple.
“What's that?” Miao asked. She pointed south, where something caught Braya's eye in the rain. A pair of lights struggled in a jagged path through the heavy wind. It didn't seem like Clara, they must have been headlights from a distant car. After some minutes of the environmental struggle, the car swerved down near the porch and hit the ground with a loud crunch.
“He might be hurt, I'm going to check this out,” Braya said.
Moving into the rain did not strike her as enjoyable in the least. Braya pulled the hood over her head and wrapped the cloak tightly around her body. She then charged out onto the soggy grass and reached the car within seconds. It was hard to see with the rain beating against her face, but through the windshield the pilot appeared uninjured. He kicked the door open and stumbled out. Braya could barely see his young face, he seemed frantic and filled with fear. His brown coat soaked in a matter of seconds.
“I have bad news, is Lady Kiluana here?” he shouted through the noise of the torrent.
“In the house, come on!” Braya shouted back.
She took his hand and dragged him back toward the porch. Once safe from the deluge he tore from Braya's grip and crashed through the back door.
“What's happening, Ms. Braya?” Miao asked. The poor girl seemed stunned to see the drenched man running through.
A fierce shiver plagued Braya. “I don't know, but it doesn't look good.”
The stumbling pilot interrupted a gathering in the living room, where many servants had gathered to watch a favorite television show. Kiluana and Mister Collins joined from the hall to see what the noise was about.
“It's Roberto,” Mister Collins reminded her.
“Bad news, Lady. The police and a fleet of military ships are on the way. I listened through their radio broadcast, they'll use force if you don't surrender.”
Everyone looked straight to Kiluana, who only sighed. Braya shivered, both from the chill of her soaked fur and the news.
“I'll notify the buses to come pick us up. They should be closer than the military.”
“Yes,” Kiluana said, and then looked to everyone in the room. She barely faced them with the same confidence she had only days ago. “Full retreat, everyone disperse. Spread the word.”
Everyone seemed hesitant with the order. They probably expected this time to come, knowing the sort of business Kiluana got herself into. Soon enough they all rose from their seat and walked off in a orderly fashion. They certainly took the news better than Braya expected. Their faces were somewhat blank, like soldiers following their orders. A few of them griped about running through the rain, but they eventually accepted the inevitable.
After the living room was almost entirely abandoned, Kiluana looked to Braya and Miao at the back door. She seemed surprised to find them there.
“Oh Braya, you're all wet. Go dry up. And little Miao, tell your mom what you saw here. We need to leave the ranch soon.”
Miao took Kiluana's command to heart and saluted. “Yes, I will!”
The young girl left the two alone and she charged down the hall. Braya looked to Kiluana's defeated grimace and wasn't sure what to say. The act of retreating like this had been so common in the past that Braya hardly minded, but Kiluana was young. It was not in her nature to run.
Kiluana walked off in a slow and dreadful silence. Braya sighed and went to find a towel.
* * *
Two buses came to pick up a select few of Kiluana's failing regime. Braya joined Kiluana, Kinjeur, Meeki, and her family on the second to arrive. As they lifted off for the several hour flight through space, Braya looked out the window and saw just how close they were to facing the authorities of Aster. Through some small gaps of the heavy clouds, countless lights from cars and other vehicles darted along the landscape. With such numbers, it was clear they wanted total surrender. Braya well remembered the military might that some nations loved throwing around back on Earth.
For now it seemed that the military hadn't noticed the buses as they crept away from the planet. In time the lights converged around one point and covered the entire ranch. Braya sighed and rested against the cold wall of the bus. They were sitting in a special cabin meant to accommodate the injured. Meeki's rolling hospital bed was attached securely against the wall where she could look out the window, though she looked forward rather than backward. She had been quiet during the escape. There was some sadness in her face, some anger as well. Everyone else sat on the uncomfortable benches, tending to the boring flight in their own ways.
Several hours passed without a word from anyone, but Miao broke the silence. With her timid little brown eyes she looked to Kiluana and posed a question.
“Ms. Kiluana, are your people going to be okay? Won't they be in trouble with the bad man?”
Kiluana smiled softly to the girl and shook her head. “My staff knows what to do. We've planned for a quick retreat like this, and I even gave them orders to follow while we're gone. They'll stay out of the police's way and work undercover.”
“Wow, you're good,” Miao said. There was a clear admiration in her eyes now, one the girl often held for Kiluana. But no one else felt as confident, not even Kiluana herself.
“It's just sad that they will have a bad time in the rain,” Miao added.
“I'm more worried about what will happen to us,” Meeki's husband said. “Don't you think this Elian guy'll find out we're gone, then he'll manipulate Newhope against us?”
Kiluana smiled to the man. “Good thinking, but I'm already expecting that. My papa's got connections and arranged for our safety on Newhope for a few months. By that time we'll know what to do next.”
There was a sudden scoff from Meeki's end of the room.
“So are you finally going to take things seriously now?” Meeki asked bitterly. “Or are you going to find some new family on Newhope to screw up?”
Kiluana seemed taken aback by this and sank into the corner like a small animal in the midst of a predator.
“Meeki.” Braya rested her hand on Meeki's. “Please don't, you know she didn't mean for all this to happen.”
Meeki grumbled and turned away as much as she could. Braya sighed, she still felt more responsible for Meeki's pain than anyone else. Braya was the one who invited Meeki into Elian's little game, she was the one to be angry with. But Meeki never seemed to accuse Braya, why was that?
They all sat in rather unhappy silence for another hour. Then a terrifying clang startled them, the bus quaked as if something heavy pounded from outside.
“W—what's going on? Did we crash?” Braya mumbled frantically. She looked toward the window and saw the blue metal plating of another car.
“Son of a bitch,” Kiluana moaned. “It's the police.”
Just then, the speaker of their cabin popped on, and a notice played.
“Innocent Girls, we know you're on this bus. Acting Administrator Elian has charged you for the murders of our former leaders. We'll be coming to arrest you.”
“What'll we do?” Meeki asked.
Kiluana stood up and reached for her guns, but she looked to Meeki's husband and daughter for a moment and stopped. This surprised all of them. One didn't have to know Kiluana long to recognize the rarity of her turning down a fight.
“We can't fight them here, the bus might get too damaged,” Kiluana admitted.
“Then I'll fuck them up a little with my fists, they're just police,” Kinjeur insisted.
“No,” Kiluana said. She looked around, probably trying to find an excuse, and it came quickly enough. “Not with a child near.”
Kinjeur looked between Miao and Kiluana with great sullen disappointment. “Fine, whatever.”
Kiluana reluctantly fell back down to her seat and watched the door with an intense dread. They all shared the feeling, even Miao who had nothing to do with the assassinations.
They heard many footsteps in the corridor, but whoever was outside had walked off. For a moment they wondered if the police had gone elsewhere, but then the door finally slid open. Braya expected someone to bust in with the guns, but a small blond girl in a little white gown stepped backwards into the cabin. Braya almost yelped, it was Clara! The girl carried a sack, undoubtedly filled with weapons and other such tools.
“You!” Braya said, then jumped out of her seat as if ready for a fight.
Clara closed the door and turned. She smiled and bowed. “Did you think you could get away from me by escaping a planet?
“Who are you?” Kiluana demanded.
“Oh, she didn't tell you about me?” Clara asked, and then walked gingerly towards Braya. “Finally you keep your mouth shut.”
Braya saw Clara holding something in the sack and trembled, knowing what the girl could do to them at any moment.
“That's right, you're a submissive little kitty, because you know I could destroy all life on this ship in an instant,” Clara said, her tone almost fiendish with every word.
“I asked you a question, little girl!” Kiluana said, almost shouting.
Clara turned to Kiluana and walked to the center of the room. “Be quiet. Compared to me, you're the little girl.”
Kiluana growled and pushed herself off the seat to tower over Clara.
“What did you say?” Kiluana asked, becoming increasingly impatient.
Clara said nothing. She pulled out a little electronic device from her bag and held her finger just above a small unlabeled button. Braya knew that button, she had seen it used long ago. It was for mind control.
“Stop that!” Braya begged.
“Or what,” Clara wondered as she turned her head to Braya. “You'll fight me?”
Clara had a deep laugh, though it was more for show than an actual expression of humor. Braya groaned in frustration and eyed the little plastic device. Clara had her back to Braya, it might be possible to swipe it away. So Braya slowly stepped closer and thrust her right arm forward to strike Clara's hand. But when she made contact, a devastating painful surge of electricity streamed through her body. The shock blew Braya across the room and she collided with Meeki's bed. She fell to the ground in a daze and felt a tingle throughout her body. None of her limbs cooperated with her desire to get up, she was paralyzed.
“That's it, I'm through with you!” Kiluana said, and then pulled out a pistol. She aimed it squarely at Clara's forehead, but the girl didn't even flinch.
“Are you going to shoot little old me?” Clara asked, and then looked straight to Miao. “In front of an innocent child?”
Kiluana glanced to Miao for a second. The yougn girl was somewhat frightened by Clara, but mostly confused. Her father looked stern and shook his head.
“You can't shoot her anyway,” Braya muttered. “She won't get hurt, it's like that shield thing that Elian had, but this is much better.”
Kiluana frowned. “You're joking. A little girl like this with better defenses than Elian?”
“Please believe me, she's no ordinary girl.”
Kiluana raised a brow, but after a moment she put the gun away and shrugged. Clara then stood by the door to address them all.
“I'll introduce myself, my name is Clara. My duty's to ensure that you annoying humans don't stray from the rules set by your creator, Neudias. Most people do a good enough job with this, but Elian is an abnormality. His desire for vicious change went out of control, so I allowed Braya to come to your world. She promised—under threat of severe punishment in case of failure—that Elian would be disposed of.
“That didn't work out. The punishment would normally stay with Braya like we planned, but things have changed. Because she revealed her identity and mission to you, I hold you all under contempt for breaking Neudias' rules. You'll all undergo severe punishment, and Braya will be put to a permanent sleep until Neudias returns. You will all have your memories wiped clean of her influence and this entire Elian situation as well.”
Clara stopped there and looked to them, as if expecting questions after a lecture.
“What the hell kind of rule did we break just for knowing Braya?” Meeki asked.
“One of Neudias' rules specifically states that no human will come in contact with a being from the previous universe. Braya comes from Earth, long before Newhope.”
“How the hell can we be guilty for knowing something? It's not like we went out of our way to learn!”
“It's not your intention to learn that matters. It's that your memory continues to store this knowledge, that's what breaks the rule. So I will erase your memory, but only after I personally punish you all for the transgression.”
“That's a bunch of shit,” Meeki groaned. “You're completely ridiculous.”
Just then, a violent tremor shook the bus, and they saw through the window that the blue police car had broken contact. A strange message played on the cabin speakers. “Our apologies—We won't—bother you—It was our—mistake—You're not Innocent—girls.”
Clara laughed to the sound. “Simple minded people are so easy to manipulate. You don't even need to be in the same room and you can control them. It's lovely.”
They eyed her warily and had nothing to say. She took the hint that not even Kiluana cared much for mind control.
“Anyway, you're not going to Newhope anymore. This bus is already on the way to a new place. It's a world of my own making, just near the border of this universe and the old one.”
“You mean the third planet?” Meeki asked.
“No, dear Meeki,” Clara explained. “My home is called Sarha. It's beyond human detection. I wouldn't want you idiots coming along to screw it up.”
Suddenly, Clara seemed to sense something. Her head turned sharply in a few random directions for a moment, and then she sighed.
“Damn it, I have a few urgent things I need to do. Braya, bring them to your house when you arrive. It might be a few days before I carry out your sentences.”
A delay in their punishment? Braya couldn't have asked for a better miracle. With some time, they could find a way to stop Clara from doing all of this. But for now, she contained her joy.
“Whatever,” Braya said, and shrugged like she couldn't care less.
Clara fished out one last thing from her bag, a strange green wand with thousands of tiny buttons all around. With incredible precision she pressed fifty buttons and then vanished instantly. Once everyone was convinced that she was really gone, they remained silent to digest the gravity of the strange situation.
Kinjeur looked to Braya, her expression halfway between annoyance and curiosity. “Did we really have to sit here and take that?”
Braya nodded. “I don't know how willing she was to actually hurt us, but she definitely has the ability.”
“I think she proved it well enough. Anyway, what now? Are we just going to let her do things to us?” Meeki asked.
“If that girl's as bad as I think she is, it sure doesn't look like we have a choice,” Meeki's husband said.
“Well, if we have even the tiniest of a chance, I'm taking it,” Kiluana said.
“We do have a chance,” Braya announced. “Clara said she'd be busy for a few days. I have a few friends in Sarha City who might help us out.”
“Friends who can stand up to a power hungry little girl?” Kinjeur asked.
“Not exactly, but they will be useful. You'll see what I mean when we get there,” Braya said.
As they waited the rest of the flight, Braya formulated countless plans to defeat Clara. But she couldn't decide on any of them. They were all flawed and uncertain. After exhausting herself with the task, Braya looked to Meeki and the others. It was odd how hard they worked to stop Elian, yet in the end they were the ones to be punished. It wasn't fair at all. Braya once again felt enormous guilt, being the one who got them involved. She would have to do something drastic to make up for it. Even if it meant sacrifice.