Esther

I glanced to the area of space where Lieutenant Tanpo and Warpaint guarded Vai. Vai's eyes were closed as he concentrated on healing. So far none of our little group were harmed, but we were starting to grow weary.

I had to admit, I was proud of us for destroying that first Brist ship. Before we came out, there was a great part of me that doubted we could do it by ourselves. I knew we were supposed to be an example to the rest of the Gathering and I did have the light longer than anyone else in the Gathering, but that didn't make me an expert. There was still much to learn and much the Awakened One continued to teach us. The Corruption knew more about the light than we did. I kept expecting them to thwart us somehow. They had almost destroyed the Awakened Ones so long ago. But the Awakened Ones - despite their professing to be strong - hadn't recognized real strength.

Looking at Vai I wondered if the Awakened Ones could have won if they had someone who could heal instantly on the battlefield like Vai. The Awakened One followed my gaze.

"My people would have killed him when he was a child," the Awakened One said.

"That's why your people failed," I said.

He didn't reply.

"Focus," Shel said to us.

The second Brist ship we had damaged with the first fired on Hani and her mother. The two of them dodged.

"I'll take care of the weapons again," Shel said. "You two can destroy the outer hull."

He drifted closer to the Brist ship. His purple light rose from him and centered around one of the main weapons. As the purple light engulfed it, the weapon crushed in on itself over and over again until it became useless.

The Awakened One's gray light tore of a large frame of metal from the hull of the ship. He brought back the metal with his light for momentum. I focused my light on the end of it and with a nod from him I pushed the metal back towards the ship. The sheet of metal rammed into the ship towards the bottom.

We still weren't sure where the vital parts of the ship were. The layout of the Brist ships weren't taught in the Gathering school unlike the alien ships of those that were part of the Gathering. With the first Brist ship, we had just kept putting holes into it until it had so much damage that it was incapacitated.

From the hole we just formed in the ship, a small group of Brist were sucked out into space. The Corruption inside them quickly left them and flitted away through space until they disappeared.

Minmin and Owen moved to the hole and filled it with their lightning and fire. Fire would normally be difficult to produce in the area exposed to space as there was no oxygen, but Owen's fire really wasn't fire. It was just how his light manifested itself. I worried briefly over Owen. I couldn't deny there was a special place in my heart reserved just for him. Whenever I thought back on how he first believed in me and cared for me, my heart grew warm.

Another sheet of metal was torn free from the Brist ship. I had to trust that Owen would keep himself safe through this battle. He and the others had come to mean so much to me - a new family - but him especially. I didn't know how I would survive if he died. Vai wouldn't let that happen though. He would heal us all before we could die if it came down to it.

I surrounded my pink light at the back of the metal frame and pushed it with my force into the Brist ship again. Owen and Minmin were quickly at that spot filling it with their light.

Shel maneuvered himself so he was next to me. "The weapons on this ship have been destroyed," he announced. "Hani's and Nathan's families have moved on to the next ship. It's a K'thaktran ship. Our shields can keep out their weapons unlike with the Brist weapons. Owen's dad has joined him and Minmin."

Mr. Morgan went in front of Owen and Minmin. I couldn't hear his power, but knew he had directed it inside the hole.

"His power is best utilized like this," I said, "focused inside the ships where it can target living things. It's pretty much useless directed at the ships."

Shel nodded in agreement.

"Do you want to target the Armstar after this?" I asked. "Maybe we can get Vai and sneak on board to heal yours and Minmin's dads."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea at this moment or feasible," he replied. "And we would need to pull Vai away from healing our people. That's more important at the moment. The Armstar can wait. I'm going to the K'thaktra ship to destroy their weapons so they can't at least damage our ships."

He left us then. The Awakened One pulled off more metal from the Brist ship. I used my pink light to fling it back into the ship. Minmin, Owen and his father quickly went to the newly formed hole.

The Remembrance streaked through space below us before it arched suddenly upwards only barely missing the Brist ship we battled. The field that shielded it's shuttle bay from the effects of space went off in a blink. I didn't understand why. None of our ships or people attacked it. People and shuttles were sucked out into space before the field went back up. The Remembrance did not try to save any of its people. Instead it jumped out of this area of space.

There was a moment when nothing happened and then the Armstar and Fallfrost jumped away followed quickly by the other enemy Gathering ships. It caused both myself and the Awakened One to pause just after he tore off more metal. The other Gathering alien ships jumped away next leaving behind the Brist ships. The Brist ships that hadn't been damaged jumped away next. I used my light to send the piece of metal speeding back to the Brist ship. It crashed in near the top of the ship. Minmin and others moved towards it. The ship was still and I was sure if it could jump away it would have.

I turned to look all around in space. There were more damaged Brist ships than I had expected. There were about a dozen Brist ships and one K'thaktran ship that had been incapacitated. Our own ships had minimal surface damage. Nothing that would be a hindrance.

My okulus beeped with an incoming message. It was a G.E.F. wide announcement.

«Everyone is to board their respective ships immediately and await further instruction.

"We need to get back on the Shadow," I said to the Awakened One.

"But we haven't finished destroying this ship," he replied. Owen and the others were drawing away from the Brist ship and making their way towards us. Shel, Hani's and Nathan's families were also headed our way.

"It's a command," I said.

"Your commanders don't make sense," he said.

As we turned to go back to the Shadow, I saw both Lieutenant Tanpo and Warpaint holding Vai's arms between them and dragging him back to the Shadow. I could almost hear his voice arguing that he needed to heal the injured Brist.

We met back up with all of them on the way and I was correct. Vai was still arguing that he should heal as many Brist as he could.

"There isn't time for that," Lieutenant Tanpo said.

"She is right, little one," the Awakened One said to Vai.

"If time permits and we get the opportunity, I'll convince the captain to let you come back and heal them," Lieutenant Tanpo pacified Vai.

"What was that presence you sent away?" Vai asked the Awakened One. It was clear Vai's power had tired him, but it wasn't to the point where he was close to fainting.

"What presence?" Owen asked. "Is that why you suddenly started saying strange things," he addressed the Awakened One.

"I was too caught up in the moment," the Awakened One said. "I shouldn't have sent that to everyone. I should have focused it only on who I wanted to hear it. I am still young."

"Young?" Mr. Morgan said. "Aren't you thousands and thousands of years old?"

"Technically," the Awakened One said, "but I've spent most of that in a form of stasis as I waited for those who we could open the light in. I am actually much younger."

"So who were you talking to?" Minmin asked. "Your people?"

The Awakened One's large, furry head swiveled all the way around as if he expected the Corruption to overhear. Maybe they could, although I didn't think the Corruption had stayed close enough to hear. When they had abandoned those who were dying, they retreated as far away as they could. I was sure of it.

"We will speak of it later when I'm sure it is safe to do so," the Awakened One said.

As soon as everyone was back in the Shadow and accounted for, Captain Axa made another ship wide announcement. "Rest for now except for essential personnel. We are jumping into another area of space - hopefully a safer area - and we will contact the Gathering Council. Be prepared to move at any moment."

I watched as Owen and his father left the shuttle bay. I was pretty sure Owen felt the same way about me as I felt about him so why was he waiting? He was the older one, shouldn't he make the first move? I didn't want to wait too much longer. Maybe I would have to make the first move.