William
It had almost been two weeks since the ‘Wind Breaker Express’ left the Karthmere system. At least William thought it had almost been two weeks. It had taken him days to leave the small quarters he shared with Alyn. Those days just melted together as one, but he did know that they were still in Commonwealth Space, and not yet into the vastly unsettled, and lightly charted Nord Void. They were in the Bloom sector, he knew that much, but they were close to the border, and it was only a matter of days before they were outside Commonwealth Space, and there was no major systems in their path.
Alyn had been kind during those first days. William could remember that. His uncle would bring him food, but otherwise leave him alone to curl up in the bunk alone. He didn’t cry, but he wanted to, he wanted to die. He wanted to join his family.
After a few days though Alyn had forced him to leave their cramped quarters to get his own food, and most of all to shower. He had never showered in face before, but other than the water falling at a speed that just wasn’t right, it hadn’t been as different as he expected. Furse ships were more advanced than Commonwealth ships, even trading ships it seemed.
It took some time, but William got to know the captain of the ‘Windbreaker Express’, and his family. His son was a few years younger than William, but kind. They were all kind to William’s surprise, and they treated him well, even though he tried to avoid speaking to them.
It wasn’t because of all he had heard of the Furse. His ancestors were Furse, his father had spent time in Furse Space William knew. Alyn came from there. It was part of it he guessed, but it was mostly that he just wanted to be alone. Dex though had invited him each night at dinner to join him and the other kids in the holo rooms. The games they played kept his mind off of the events he had witnessed, and it made getting through each day a little easier.
William returned to the quarters he shared with Alyn after showering. It still took so time getting use to having everyone in one large shower. One second he was alone, and the next there could be three or four people in there with him, men, and women.
“William,” Alyn said from the bunk he sat on. “We should speak,” he said but didn’t look up. “I thought of waiting, but we should do so now.”
“Speak of what?” William asked curiously.
“Your father,” His uncle said, and looked up at him.
“What’s there to say?” William asked, and turned away. “He’s dead, their all dead.”
“Yes,” Alyn agreed. “I don’t know why it happened, but, well he was murdered,” he said finally. “Killed on the council floors itself, condemned as a traitor, and yet all he could think of was his family, of getting you all… getting you to Coldfell.”
William leaned a hand against the metal wall. He had read the reports that came through from the world of Karthmere before they left the system. He had even watched the broadcast of his father, and his supporters as they were cut down by railgun fire. It had been hard to watch, harder yet to read the charges of treason, and they were the same charged he had heard all his life, and it had all happened during the same time as the attack in Greendowns, as the world of Karthmere ripped itself apart.
“Whats there to say?” William asked in a harsh tone. “He wanted us to go to Furse Space? What, he wanted to protect us from his action? From being a traitor? They’re all dead because of him,” he growled, and turned to look at his uncle.
Alyn rose, and his face twisted in horror, and pain, but mostly anger. “Don’t,” he said force-ably.
“Don’t what?” William snapped back. “Maybe if he loved Karthmere as much as Coldfell they would still be alive,” he said, but he knew he didn’t mean it. “All my life I’ve heard about his treason. How he left the Commonwealth to serve the Furse of Coldfell. All my life I’ve put up with it, and you kow what it’s true, if it wasn’t the rest of my family would be alive.
“Don’t Alyn shouted, and held his hand out to William, and the next thing William knew he was flying backwards against the wall.
William slammed his head against the wall, and he looked at his uncle as his vision cleared in fear. He looked down and realized he was against the wall of their quarters, and several feet off the wall.
Alyn dropped his hand, and fell to the floor with a thump. He looked up at his uncle. “Your a Techno-Mage,” he said in more fear.
