Free AKLESH (Under Strange Skies) by Samuel Jarius Pettit Page A

prince and one of the most important people in the Galaxy. They certainly couldn’t do without him.

    It had been too chaotic during the shuttle accident for him to send out a distress signal.
    Sometimes ships did this on their own, but with so many things going wrong all at once, he doubted if anything had been working at that point. If the ship had crashed someplace more accessible, he might have been able to rig some sort of beacon. Gar had always
    been
    good
    with
    mechanics
    and
    programming, but the shuttle was now deep under a lake with no way to salvage it. He could always be traced by his biosignature if a search party found the right planet. But that took time and there were so many planets to search.

    The young prince decided to count his blessings. For the time being he was safe. And as far as Gar was concerned, Kai could stay missing until he was found by the Orestian government.
    And if tribal medicine couldn’t separate them, he would just have to bring the young tribesman to Orestus, with or without his consent, and the scientists there could figure it out. Anything was better than staying mind-bound to an emotionally unstable youth.

    So for the time being, it would be huts, grass mats, blue fruit and blue people. Gar decided to bide his time until something better came along.
    Till then he’d need to keep a low profile and not disturb the status quo. On that score he already wasn’t doing very well, at least so far. Ruffling feathers was something he was naturally quite good at. His family and advisors were constantly trying to convince him to mend his ways. It appeared now was his opportunity to start.

    Pretty much all of the tribe had settled for the night. So, when Gar looked down to the lower level and saw a lone figure walking in the torchlight, he knew immediately who it was. He could feel Kai’s animosity even from that distance.

    The young native had stopped and looked up, having sensed Gar as well. Strapped over his shoulder was a leather bag and in his hand he held a long spear. Gar did not know where he was going. The prince assumed was that the Aklesh youth was running away. Gar knew that desire well.

    Their eyes met for a moment.

    “Just go,” Gar thought.

    He hadn’t been intentionally sending this message, but it had been received. Kai turned gruffly and proceeded down the long stairway to the ground level and out of the keep.

    ***

    The young Aklesh warrior was determined to get away from his tribe, at least for a little while.

    Once out past the ground level huts Kai hit on a path through the woods heading towards the plains. He knew this path well. When he wanted privacy for a while, this was always the direction he took.

    No one had seen him leave except for the stranger. Kai was certain he would not follow. He was also certain that nobody in the tribe wanted to see him for a while.

    His people may not have approved of his actions, but it had saved a life. And life was of the utmost importance to the Aklesh. If he had been a better healer, he would have been able to keep his mind back from Gar’s. Kai kept berating himself for not being more advanced in the healing arts. If he had been, then the tribe would be praising his heroics as opposed to condemning the fiasco.

    But, it was true. When he had leapt from the cliff face, it had been purely on instinct. With the immediate events that followed, there had been no forethought, just action.

    It pained him to know his unguarded thoughts had unintentionally hurt the stranger.

    Kai contemplated the visitor from the Sky Tribes.

    Gar’s mind was such a jumble of images, thoughts and feelings, and they all seemed to contradict
    each
    other.
    Mostly,
    Kai
    was
    overwhelmed by the hate and resentment that he had sensed from Gar since the moment their minds had been linked.

    Some of these emotions the young prince had directed at him, but mostly they were in regards to so many other problems in his life. Other parts of his