Centaurus Nimbus Eight
Three days later
"Nyraxi?" Gidde Mazda whispers through the bedroom door. "Nyraxi, it's mother. What are you doing in there? It's half past midday. You should be out of bed and preparing to wash the laundry. Nyraxi? Nyraxi, did you hear me? Answer this door...Or I am coming in."
Gidde stops talking, pressing the right side of her head against the door. From within the room, she can hear the sounds of soft sobbing. Her darling little girl is crying.
"Oh, my poor poor baby," Gidde coos softly. "Nyraxi, honey. You mustn't be angry at your father. He only wants what is best for you. Prince Gilden...Well--."
Gidde places the palm of her left hand against the door. She listens more intently, her brow creasing with extreme worry.
"Gilden is a prince. He's royalty. And you're not. You are a descendant of the royal house which was brought low by his family long ago. You can never truly be his equal. He only seeks to conquer you. To hang shame upon your head...And in your heart. Can't you see that, Nyraxi? It's...A different kind of war. Your father just doesn't want to see you hurt. That's all. Please try to understand."
Gidde once again stops to listen. The sobbing within the room continues. However, there is something odd about it. Gidde listens harder, her eyes growing wide with fear and confusion. She jiggles the handle of the door.
"Nyraxi? Nyraxi, open this door! Open this door...Now! Alright. I'm coming in."
Reaching into the folds of her dress, Gidde Mazda removes a keyring from her pocket. She inserts the key, her hands shaking violently. She releases a loud gasp as she shoves the heavy bedroom door open.
"Oh my goodness. Oh no. Nyraxi...She's gone!" Gidde mutters.
-
-
Dreden Mazda sticks the blade of his massive shovel into the ground and leans on the wooden handle. He glowers in the general direction of the royal palace. The angry thoughts in the disgraced patriarch's mind send surges of adrenaline coursing through his muscular body, aiding him to complete his tasks in record time. The vegetable garden is almost completely planted. And it's barely past midday.
How he wouldn't like to strangle that silly Prince Gilden. Ha. To think, the royal buffoon had actually thought he had a chance with Nyraxi. Not so long as there is an ounce of life left in the Mazda Clan. Not so long as he draws breath, and he is Nyraxi's father. Over Prince Gilden's dead body.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Dreden's musing is halted when Gidde Mazda and a fellow servant trot swiftly through the garden rows in his direction. Dreden stands to his full height, stomping his front hooves with worry. Gidde stops short of her husband. The frightened mother's breathing is ragged, and her eyes roll wildly in her skull.
"Dreden...Dreden, Dear. Oh goodness. She's gone! Nyraxi is gone. She's not in her room. She's not on the grounds. And no one in the royal palace has seen her in days. She's truly gone. My Nyraxi is gone."
Dreden's nostrils flare with anxiety and disbelief.
"Oh no," is all he manages to say.
-
-
Centaurus Nimbus Eight-Space Port 67
Nimbus Offworld Shuttle 13F
Earlier that morning
"I'm getting a strange reading in the aft compartment," Captain Insept mutters to his copilot. "One of the flaps is ajar. The one closest to the landing gear. You and Atella go down there. See what's going on. The last thing we need is the gear failing on descent. And that's not even the worst that can happen."
"I know," Lt. Commander Shin says with an unhappy grimace. "I was with you during the Battle of Chumutts. Five fighter ships lost to the void of space. All because of a defect in the armored plating. I'll be right back. I'll let you know what we find."
Lt. Commander Shin stands from his flight chair, straightening his crisp uniform. Captain Insept shoots Commander Shin a passing glance over his right shoulder, while plotting the shuttlecraft's course in the flight computer with one hand.
-
-
Atella, the head engineer, is the first to descend into the shuttlecraft's bowels. Commander Shin carefully follows his centaur companion down. Backing down the ladder, Shin immediately turns once his front hoof hits the cold metal floor. He nods towards the landing gear.
"There. That's where the pressure loss appears to be," Commander Shin relays to Atella. "It may be a loose seal. Or...It may be nothing. Either way, the Captain wants us to check it out."
"Right," Atella says, adjusting his tool bag and reaching for his pressure measuring instruments.
Commander Shin crosses his arms over his chest, watching Atella work. Slight movement to his right draws the commander's attention in that direction. Light from the ceiling glints off of the tiny ornaments on Nyraxi's servant dress. The commander squints, staring harder into the corner. A secret smile creeps onto the sturdy centaur's face.
"Ah. So there is no pressure leak," Commander Shin thinks to himself. "We have a stowaway. I wonder what she is running from? Does it matter? I remember doing the same when I was about her age. Of course, I ran back with my tail between my legs sooner than I'd thought. She will have to learn too. The harshness of space will teach her that things are often not as bad as they seem."
"Have you found the pressure leak?" Commander Shin says, turning back to Atella.
"Yessir. There was no leak," Atella replies, putting away his tools. "The flap nearest the landing gear was not closed properly. I'm guessing it occurred during the pre-flight check. I'll have to speak with my assistant. But, don't worry. I have fixed the problem."
"Very good," Commander Shin says, proudly lifting his chin. "Then, we can continue onward. I'll let the Captain know."
The centaur commander chances a final glance into the dark corner before following Atella to the ladder.
