Chapter 4
Elsa returned to the cockpit, with Anna close behind her. Anna sat in the copilot's chair, mouth agape in awe. She was glad that their recent refuelling stop had been successful. Now they were passing through a nebula, something that Anna had never seen before.
Anna gazed out in wonder. "Mas jey'naj..."
"I pass by this nebula every now and then," Elsa explained. "It's very beautiful."
Anna looked at Elsa and smiled. "Ke'tou jey'naj."
At that moment, the ship suddenly shook violently like a city during an earthquake.
"What the fuck?!" Elsa cried. She ran over to check the radar. The screen showed a Zetan warship and two scout ships directly behind them. The screen beside the pilot's chair lit up; they were being hailed.
Elsa pressed the button on the side of the screen. "Attention, Zetan warship. You are in violation of the galactic peace treaty. State why you are firing on my ship or I will call the Federation and have you blasted all the way back to Zeta Prime."
Commander Hans' face filled the screen. There was a burn scar in the shape of Anna's hand on his face. "Hello, Captain Frost. I'm Commander Hans, Heir to the Zetan Empire. I'm here for your passenger, the Knydaxian. Hand her over, and we'll leave you in peace."
"Not a chance, Commander," Elsa replied. "I apologise for what my friend has done to you, but she's my responsibility. I'm not handing her over to a ruthless military force who exterminated and murdered her people."
Hans smirked. "We didn't kill them. Not all of them, anyway. We sold most of them as slaves. Much like what we did with your people, Arendellian."
"And may I remind you that the Federation fought you for over sixty years because of that?" Elsa retorted. "Now your resources are so depleted that the treaty was basically your only option to survive." She smirked. "I'd hate for such a terrible thing to occur again just because of your petty revenge."
He scowled. "You have two choices. Give us the Knydaxian, and we'll let you go on your merry way. Refuse...and that rusty, bucket of bolts you call a ship will be blasted into space dust."
Elsa looked at Anna before turning back to Hans. "I'd like to see you try, Zetan." With that, she closed the comm-link.
Anna smiled bravely. "Yenis maru revia Knydax."
"We're not out of this yet," Elsa replied. "Get in the cargo hold; it's gonna be a bumpy ride."
Anna shook her head. "Sona. Jai mureis ilia, met ke."
"I don't want you getting hurt," Elsa replied, "Please, for your own safety."
Anna buckled herself in. "Je'nai nex undesi ke."
Elsa sighed. "Hang on, then. Setting shields to maximum!" The ship began to shudder as the Zetan ships opened fire on it. Elsa powered the engines to full speed and took the ship into the nebula. "This should get rid of them. The electromagnetic fields of the nebula will play havoc with their sensors."
Hans scowled. "Do not lose them!" he ordered his forces.
Elsa's ship was buckled by laser fire. A warning siren then sounded around the ship. "Warning: shields at 50%."
Anna looked at Elsa nervously. "Je'nai marent."
"Don't be scared," Elsa comforted her, "we'll make it."
Another shock hit the ship. "Shields at 30% and falling," the computer warned.
Anna held Elsa's hand tightly.
A massive shock hit the ship, bigger than the ones that came before it. "Crap! We just lost our shields!" Elsa cried.
Hans grinned. "Cease fire!" he instructed his soldiers. He then called up Elsa again. "This is your last chance, Captain. Surrender the Knydaxian, or die like the worthless space rat you are."
"No," Elsa refused. "The day you get Anna will be the day when Hell freezes over." Elsa piloted her ship out of the nebula, heading for a nearby gas planet with a large moon.
He scowled. "Goodbye." He fired a photon torpedo at Elsa's ship.
The torpedo hit Elsa's ship's engines, destroying them.
"Damn!" Elsa growled. The ship went out of control, heading for the nearby moon. "Hang on, Anna!"
Anna screamed in fear.
The ship plummeted into the atmosphere, flames scorching from the sides. The turbulence in the atmosphere tore what was left of the engines to pieces. Elsa then saw the icy plain that was the moon's surface approaching them rapidly. The ship hit the ice hard, racing for a few kilometres before coming to a stop. The force of the crash knocked both women out.
xXx
When Elsa came to, she was still in the cockpit and so was Anna.
Anna slowly opened one eye. "E-Elsa...?"
"I'm okay," Elsa groaned, placing a hand on the wound on her forehead. "It looks like we made it."
Anna nodded. "Yensio ro jenas?"
Elsa looked out of the window. "Seems like we're on an ice moon. It's probably fifty degrees below zero outside." She then got out of her chair and began to check through the cockpit. "Most of the life support and replicator systems seem okay. Can't say the same for the rest of the ship, though."
Anna looked sad. "Ro jenas venai morin?"
"We'll make it, Anna," Elsa replied. "We've got food and shelter; we can survive. But those Zetan bastards are probably looking for us. If I know them, they don't give up easily."
Anna unbuckled and stood up. She noticed the gash on Elsa's forehead. "Ke'tou kahmet!" she gasped.
"I'm fine. I'll get some medi-gel on it, don't worry," Elsa replied in an attempt to calm Anna. She gave the Knydaxian a once over, seeing that she was not injured.
Anna shook her head. "Hen jai." She placed her hand on Elsa's forehead, closing her eyes. Her tattoos glowed faintly.
Elsa felt a mild tingling sensation going through her. She then checked in the mirror and saw her wound was gone. "How?!"
"Jai ken sorcira," Anna answered.
Elsa looked at Anna's tattoos, taking a nearby scanning device and hovering it over Anna's arm. "Incredible. Your tattoos are somehow using energy from iridium to manipulate the molecules around you. You could pretty much do anything!" Realization suddenly hit her. "This is what you used to burn Hans, isn't it?"
Anna nodded, and Elsa frowned. "If he got his slimy claws on you, he'd be the most powerful commander in the Zetan navy. I won't let that happen."
"Jai sen nex met."
xXx
Commander Hans sat in his office on the command ship, looking over a map of the moon on which Elsa and Anna had crashed. Soon, his first officer contacted him. "Commander, this is Lieutenant Ansaris. I'd like to speak with you, please."
"Very well then, lieutenant. I'm in my office," Hans replied.
The lieutenant entered Hans' office. He was a young man with jet black hair, blue eyes and a concerned look on his face. "Commander, I'd like to discuss the matter of the Knydaxian. Forgive me, but your methods were a little extreme to say the least."
"Eric, that Knydaxian means a lot to me," Hans explained. "I think my methods were entirely justified."
"I know, sir. She scarred your face. But with all due respect, Captain Frost did have something of a point. You risk breaking the treaty with the Federation."
"Eric, we're so far out of Federation space; there's barely even a patrol out here. Besides, if they did find us, I'd say I'm on a diplomatic mission for my mother, which would be a fair excuse."
"Sir, we've either killed or enslaved most Knydaxians. Don't you think we can let this one go? Besides, their ship crashed on the third moon of Geon IV. They're bound to freeze to death."
Hans sighed. "Eric, let me explain something to you. My mother, our Supreme Empress Maleficent, would rather have me settle down with a family on Zeta Prime. I'd prefer to get some honours and trophies to my name rather than early retirement. That girl is my trophy, and I'm not letting some blonde smuggler take that honour from me. You know how resourceful Arendellians are, how crafty they can be. Why do you think our kind tried to destroy them in the first place?! They're alive down there, alright. I'm not resting until Captain Elsa Frost is either dead or in our custody...and that Knydaxian's head is mounted on my wall."
Eric sighed. "Yes, sir, as you wish."
Hans sat back in his chair. "I want the warship to begin orbital patrols and for our fighters to begin search patterns across the surface. I want them found as soon as possible. Do I make myself clear, Lieutenant Ansaris?"
"Yes, Commander. I do have one last question, though. If we capture them alive, what would you have us do with them?"
"Have the Knydaxian put into a containment cell. It'll weaken the iridium in her body so she can't use those fancy powers of hers, and will keep her alive long enough for her to be brought back to Zeta Prime. As for the smuggler, do as you wish. Lock her up, toss her out the airlock, I don't care."
"As you command, sir." He held his fist over his heart. "Glory to the Empire."
Hans placed his own fist over his chest. "As you were, Eric."
Eric left Hans' office. As he walked away, he felt something he had never felt before: doubts about their cause.
Hans turned to his monitor, going through some of the old messages his mother had sent him since he left Zeta Prime. He selected the first one on the monitor, which he received a few days before the incident at Beck Station.
"Hello, Commander," Empress Maleficent said calmly. She was a rather older woman, with a black cloak over her body and her green skin and eyes making an unnatural glow. "Congratulations on your conquest of Yavin. The Empire is most pleased with your victory."
Hans smiled. He always loved hearing his mother's praises of him.
"However, we have lost our command post on Iothea Alpha to a local militia. As I recall, that post was your responsibility."
Hans sighed. He knew exactly where this message was going.
"I stand by my recommendation that you retire and come back to Zeta Prime. I know that you are a soldier, but you must remember that you only have one life. When I die, I want you to claim my throne and rule our empire with an iron fist, but you cannot do so if you are dead."
Hans closed that message and went on to the next one, which he received the day he arrived on Beck Station.
"Commander," the empress said, "we have received word that there may be a surviving Knydaxian in neutral space. Find it and bring it to me before she causes any trouble."
Hans remembered this message very well. Just then, his comm-link beeped. He was receiving a message directly from Zeta Prime.
"The bitch wants me directly now," Hans muttered. He patched in the comm-link. "Hello, Mother."
Empress Maleficent regarded her son with a cold gaze. "Commander. How goes your search for the Knydaxian?"
"We've tracked her to the moon of Geon IV, Mother," Hans replied. "I have the situation well under control."
"I certainly hope so. What happened to your face?"
"The Knydaxian attacked me when I found her," Hans explained. "But rest assured: she will be brought to justice."
"I have faith in you. Do NOT fail me."
"Mother, it's just a girl. She's hardly going to take time to capture," Hans said evenly. "Your faith is well placed."
"I have dealt with Knydaxians before. Allow me to give you some advice: do not let her near the iridium drive on your ship."
"I don't intend to," Hans replied.
"Good." She placed her fist over her heart. "Glory to the Empire."
Hans closed the comm-link and smiled, "Once this is over, Mother...you'll be bowing down to me."
xXx
Author's note: And so begins the next little saga of this story. The girls will be on that planet for a couple of chapters before the next major development happens. Also my friend Matt has had to take some leave away from the internet for a bit for personal reasons so the chapters might be a bit more slower to come out. Luckily we did write up to chapter 9, so as long there are chapters to be published, this story should be fine :)
And now onto what Anna was saying.
"Mas jey'naj...." = "So beautiful...."
"Ke'tou jey'naj." = "You're beautiful."
"Yenis maru revia Knydax." = "Spoken like a true Knydaxian."
"Sona. Jai mureis ilia, met ke." = "No. I'm staying here, with you."
"Je'nai nex undesi ke." = "I'm not leaving you."
"Je'nai marent." = "I'm scared."
"Yensio ro jenas?" = "Where are we?"
"Ro jenas venai morin?" = "Are we going to die?"
"Ke'tou kahmet!" = "You're hurt!"
"Hen jai." = "Let me."
"Jai ken sorcira." = "I have powers."
"Jai sen nex met." = "I won't either."
See ya next time ^^