-PHILLIP-

  Dawn was breaking and Phillip hadn't yet slept. He sat in the kitchen pantry, fidgeting while his father spoke. The man who had fallen from the sky was in the living room, not too far from them. The man hadn't slept either, though Phillip could tell he was exhausted.

  They had carried the women to Phillip's room. Luckily the bed had been big enough for the two of them. They were both still unconscious, but Phillip's mother had been happy to report that she believed they would both recover well. That was the only thing she had been happy about.

  After she finished tending to the unconscious women, Phillip’s mother fixed him with the meanest glare he had ever seen. Then she swept out of the room without another word.

  Lalo had also left without saying anything, though Phillip thought he had heard her mutter something about being eager to leave the house and join her husband.

  Kalo had tried to stay. She had pleaded with their father, stars dancing in her eyes. She wanted to meet the strangers and talk to them. Phillip wished she got the chance, but his father had given Kalo a flat no and banished her to her room. That left just Phillip and his father.

  "Are you listening to me, Phillip?"

  Phillip turned to face his father. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Brand this stern.

  "I'm sorry," Phillip responded. "I zoned out."

  His father's frown deepened. "That's exactly what I was saying," Brand said. "There are strangers in our house. Strangers who fell from the sky and survived. Yet you're zoning out. You need to get serious Phillip. I permitted your fantasies thinking they would help you grow as a person, but I'm beginning to think your mother was right all along."

  Brand sighed. "I have one goal, Phillip. And that is to protect your mother, your sisters, and you. That all. But you have threatened that goal by bringing strangers into the house. Now I'm asking you to discuss with me how we're going to handle the situation, and you're zoning out. You're not serious."

  It was the longest speech Phillip had heard his father give. He looked Brand in the eyes and saw a staunch determination and strength. He also saw a question. His father was questioning Phillip's loyalty.

  Was he so enamored by the stars and his sense of adventure that he would put his own family at risk?

  Phillip didn’t understand why his father would even consider that.

  "I don't think they are dangerous," Phillip said.

  Brand shook his head. "They burst into the sky on a flaming ship which it seems they then jumped out of. Then they survived a fall from thousands of feet up. Do you know what kind of power that requires?"

  Phillip shrugged. He had read all about magic. If the things he read were true, then the fact that the strangers surviving the jump was not too crazy. Phillip longed to have magic. He had heard mana was everywhere, but he couldn’t even feel it.

  He looked up and realised his father was waiting for an answer. "They could have been lucky," Phillip said.

  "Power," his father insisted. "Magic." Brand sighed. "Contrary to what you think, I've done a fair bit of traveling. I've seen men who wield magic. I know what they look like. That man sitting out there is one of them. What would you do if he decided to attack us? What would you do if he killed me and kidnapped your sisters? Do you think you would be able to stop him?"

  Phillip shook his head. "I don't know, father," he said. "But that’s what I’ve been saying. We’re powerless. What would you do?"

  His father didn't respond for a long time. Finally he stood up and said, "I'll be back." He left the room and came back a few seconds later cradling a weapon Phillip had never seen before.

  Phillip gasped and rose to his feet. The weapon was sleek and black, and seemed to be made of a metallic material. Brand cradled it in both hands, with the additional support of a sling over his shoulder.

  "What is that?" Phillip whispered.

  His father had a sad look on his face. "It's a rifle," Brand said. "A killing weapon."

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  ‘All weapons are killing weapons,’ Phillip thought. But he understood his father's sentiment. Instead he said. "I didn't know we had something like this in the house."

  "We don't," Brand responded. "I do. I didn’t tell you about it because you are immature. You always have been. The moment I told you, you would probably grab it and run off on some ill advised adventure."

  Phillip wasn't sure if that was true, but the very fact that he wasn’t certain lent weight to his father's suspicions.

  "But why do you have it father?" Phillip asked.

  "For moments like this when I have to protect my family."

  His father did something to the rifle and it began to hum softly.

  "Now let's go interrogate that man."

  -BEN-

  Ben had trouble fighting off the sleep. It was particularly difficult because the chair the Chintari family had offered him was remarkably comfortable.

  It was a small one-seater couch made from some fluffy material that seemed to mold to his body. The living room, as a whole, was very cozy. It was lit by a number of orange spheres that hung in corners of rafters: Mana spheres.

  Ben hadn’t seen raw mana spheres in a while. They were made from mana crystals, which were rocks that absorbed mana from the environment. Mana crystals were used to power everything. They powered Starships and rifles. But that was the thing, Ben was used to seeing them being used as a power source and not a light source. Only technologically challenged societies used them as a light source nowadays.

  The Chintari family had managed to find a way to control the light coming off the mana spheres using flexible strings that hung close to them. Ben hadn’t seen that before. He was interested in studying the mechanism, but he was too tired at the moment.

  The room itself was furnished with three larger couches that seemed to be made from the same substance as the one he sat in. There was a central table and a rug. The floor was littered with flowers and colourful paintings. The glow of the light spheres pulsed slightly in a way that threatened to make Ben fall asleep. Ben did a number of mental exercises to fight off the sensation.

  He recounted the events on the Freighter trying to put everything together in a chronological order.

  Once that was done, he tried to use his communication device, which had miraculously remained in his pocket. It was dead. He sighed and placed it back in his pocket. They would need to decide their next steps carefully.

  For now, the Chintari family they were with seemed friendly. They had assured him the Priestess and Saya would be fine, and they had offered him the place in the living room along with a plate of food and a drink which he had not touched.

  The older and younger male Chintari had retreated to what looked like a kitchen. Ben could hear them talking, though he could not make out the words. Whatever they were saying, he knew it would end up with them coming out to speak with him.

  So he waited.

  Finally, the talking stopped and they stepped out. Ben arched a brow when he noticed the rifle the older one carried in his arms.

  It was a bolt rifle, but the size and design suggested it belonged to an older generation of rifles. The older Chintari led the way while the younger followed behind. The young man carried two chairs.

  He set the chairs opposite Ben, and they sat down. Ben noted how the older male made sure the barrel of the rifle was pointed at him.

  It was an interrogation then.

  The older man spoke. "My name is Brand Hura. This is my son Falu."

  Ben didn't miss the disparaging look the younger Chintari flashed Brand. He recalled how the younger one had identified himself as Phillip when they had met in the field; a distinctly Terran name. Apparently there was some friction here.

  "What is your name stranger?" Brand asked.

  Ben glanced at Phillip before answering. "My name is Ben Wilson."

  Brand nodded. "It is good to meet you, Ben Wilson. Can we ask what brought you to our home?"

  "Phillip brought me," Ben replied cheekily. He noted the way Brand tensed at the name.

  The rifle twitched.

  "Our ship blew up," Ben added. Maybe he shouldn’t antagonise his host too much.

  "How did that happen?" Brand asked.

  "Someone tried to kill us."

  Father and son exchanged a glance. Brand spoke again. "And is this still someone trying to kill you?"

  "No," Ben replied, though he wasn’t entirely sure that was true. "We dealt with it," he added.

  "Did you kill him?" Brand asked.

  Ben didn't respond, and Brand began to look uncomfortable. The old Chintari man shifted in his seat and spoke.

  "I hope you understand, Ben Wilson, that I am trying to protect my family."

  Ben nodded.

  "If there is any chance that you're being here will bring danger to my family, I will have to kick you out."

  Ben nodded again.

  Brand continued. "Is there a chance that the people who blew up your ship will track you here?"

  Ben weighed his options, noting that Brand seemed genuine.

  Ben replied. "You might know the answer to that question better than me," he said.

  Brand frowned. "What do you mean?"

  Ben spoke his next words in an even tone, keeping his eyes on Brand the entire time.

  "The man who attacked us was Chintari. His name was Nale Vitham. Does that mean anything to you?"

  It did. Brand jolted as soon as he heard the name. Phillip gasped.

  ‘Good.’ Ben thought. It was a half-truth he had fed them. He wasn't certain what had caused the ship to explode, but he strongly suspected Silver's henchman had had more to do with it than Nale.

  Brand stood up and released his hold on the rifle. It flopped to his side, held up by the sling.

  "The Vitham sect are all dead," Brand said evenly. "I don't think you are in immediate danger. You can stay. But I want you out of my house as soon as your companions are stable."

  Ben nodded. That had been his plan anyway.

  Brand turned to his son. "Let's go Falu."

  Phillip sighed and rose with his father.

  "Good night Ben Wilson," Phillip said.

  Ben nodded, and they left the room. Again Ben felt sleep tugging at the fringes of his consciousness. This time he let it in. He reclined into the couch. As he drifted off, his mind wandered to thoughts about Blaze and Kaja Khan.