Free Slave Empire - Prophecy by T C Southwell

ready to meet me. You'll
get a full explanation then."
    Tallyn turned
and stepped through the door, which hissed shut behind him. She
stared at it, then turned as Rawn emerged, rubbing his hair. He
took in her pale countenance and strained expression with a glance,
his gaze dropping to her empty hands.
    "Where's my
gun?"
    "I gave it to
them."
    "Are you nuts?
Why?"
    She shook her
head. "It's no good to us. He was very nice about it, and polite.
He said they won't hurt us, and I believe him."
    "Oh, great! So
you just handed it over like a good little girl. Dammit, Rayne,
sometimes I think you're an idiot!" He loomed over her, scowling.
"Now we have absolutely no defence at all, and that was my
gun."
    Rawn had
always been attached to his gun, and, as their means of survival,
it had been important. She met his glare.
    "It was
useless. They probably have a dozen weapons hidden in this room,
any of which could drop you like that..." She snapped her fingers.
"...Anytime they choose. And he said they're here to rescue
us."
    "From
what?"
    "Earth, what
do you think? The planet's dying, we know that. For some reason, he
wants to save us."
    "Why?"
    She shook her
head. "I don't know. He said he'd explain it all, as soon as you're
calm enough to meet him."
    Rawn swung
away and flung the damp towel across the room. "Who is this guy,
anyway?"
    "He's the
commander of this ship. His name's Tallyn, and he's an
Atlantean."
    "As in from
Atlantis?"
    She glanced at
him in surprise. "I never thought of that."
    "What is he,
green with yellow spots?"
    "No. Just
weird."
    "Great. So
what makes him think I'm not calm enough?"
    Rayne shot him
a smile. "Well, you were making threats about shooting holes in
things, and he was listening."
    "Yeah,
watching too, no doubt. He must have got an eyeful of you in the
shower. Well, I don't have a damned gun anymore, so what's the
problem?" She looked away in embarrassment, and Rawn smiled. "Don't
worry, I'm sure you're not his type."
    "Can you talk
to him calmly and rationally?"
    "Sure, why
not? We're in deep shit now. We might as well make the best of
it."
    A few minutes
later, the panel that had dispensed the medicated water opened
again, this time disgorging a welcome meal. Although some items
defied description, Rayne assumed their hosts knew what was good
for them and ate it all. It proved to be tasty, and afterwards she
relaxed again, the unusual fullness of her stomach improving her
mood. Despite Rawn's encouraging words, another hour passed before
contact was re-established. The door slid open to reveal the
commander once more.
    Rawn jumped
up, and Rayne rose slowly, watching them. Tallyn sized Rawn up, but
gave no sign of tension, while Rawn made the most of his extra
height. This did not seem to impress Tallyn, who addressed Rawn in
a flat, no-nonsense tone.
    "Please remain
calm. You are welcome aboard my ship. I will now conduct you to a
viewing room, where I will explain your abduction."
    "That would be
nice," Rawn remarked, but Tallyn turned away to walk through the
sparsely furnished room they found beyond the door. It looked like
an ultra-modern hospital, with a lot of strange paraphernalia
parked against the walls. They followed Tallyn into a passage,
glancing around. Rayne slipped her hand into Rawn's, drawing
courage from his familiar presence. The corridor's seamless
material was smoothly rounded, as if in a giant mould. Mellow light
gave it a warm glow, and a carpet of soft grey moss muffled their
footsteps. No other people passed them before a door slid open at
Tallyn's approach, and they entered another room.
    "Please
sit."
    Tallyn
indicated two chairs, which moulded to Rayne’s shape when she sat
down, startling her. Tallyn went to a desk that held a huge book,
bound in black leather and gold. Opening it to a marked page, he
gazed at Rayne, who glanced at Rawn.
    Tallyn sat
behind the desk. "This is the holy book of my people. In it, all
the prophecies of the ancient mystics have been set down,