Kiera's Moon

A hood made of rough material was thrown over her head and her hands bound before she could scream. Someone threw her over his shoulder and she let out a shout that earned her a blow to the head. Caught between consciousness and darkness, she hung limply for a long time, until the man holding her flung her onto a hard floor. The sound of a door closing and muffled voices outside the door were followed by silence. She tore off the hood, aware she was on a spaceship by the dark grey landscape. The cell where she sat measured six by six with a grey bench.

She sat, confused. She didn't have much time to think before the door slid open, and Ne'Rin squatted in the doorway. The look on his face made her shrink back from him. He reached out to her, placing the translator on her ear.

"Since meeting you, I've felt you were nothing but a curse." His words were hard, his eyes even harder. "If A'Ran had mated with a proper nishani, we'd not be losing this war."

"Ne'Rin, what are you talking about?" she whispered.

"I don't know what you did to him, but I intend to repair the damage you've done to our people." He rose and hauled her to her feet, all but dragging her into the hall. Another warrior trailed as he pulled her down the hall.

"Ne'Rin, A'Ran chose me. I do his battle planning. I'm going-- "

"He's gone weak after all these years at battle and lost sight of winning back our planet! Do you know how many of my people have starved this moon-cycle alone? All he had to do was choose a nishani-- my sister!-- and the planet would be healed!" His words were accompanied by a squeeze on her arm painful enough to make her gasp. She said nothing and trotted to keep up with his long stride. He led her through the ship to a cargo area filled with pods on the wall. He paused before one and pressed his hand to a keypad. "Instead, he waited for you, and you've made him weak."

The grey wall slid away to display an escape pod, large enough for one person standing. She stared at it, then at him.

"Farewell, nishani."

His words were accompanied by a shove. She landed in the pod, and the door slid closed before she could react.

"Ne'Rin!" she shouted, pounding on the door. "Don't do this!"

The pod jolted and dropped, the sickening sense making her nauseous. For a long moment, it was dark and silent, until the interior of the pod lit up with two screens, one displaying the empty space outside and the other displaying a control panel with writing similar to that of the battle planning station.