Champions (Volume 1)

Champions Ch14 - Return

Champions

Ch14 - Return

"Return to sender."

"Sam, we've got to go! We can't go back!" Grace was yelling as quietly as she could. We were still close to the tunnel and I was fighting a losing battle trying to get away.

"I have to! I need to!" I breathed, coarse and hollow. I'd run out of tears by now, but I was now fueled by rage instead of sorrow. Rage coursed through my veins; so thick I could stop a car in its tracks.

That's when a blinding flash appeared around the four of us. It was familiar, but I blacked out before I could react to the teleportation field.

***

I was disoriented as I fell from Grace and Alex's grip. I hit the floor hard and a sharp pain blossomed in my nose. I thought it was bleeding, but I didn't focus on it. What I did focus on was SM in the middle of the room.

It took only a moment for me to pull my knife and lunge at him, still stuck in my rage. He effortlessly slid out of the way and pushed me the other way. I quickly recovered and jumped at him again. I was angry, hurt, grieving. I couldn't be rational right now.

Instead of dodging, he grabbed me, using all six of his slim arms to keep me in place. "You have many queztion, don't you?" His voice was as calm as low tide, somehow calming me down a little. I relaxed my muscles and dropped my blade, allowing him to set me down.

"Are they alright?" I asked. I had to know. I'd known those two for years, ever since the café opened.

"We cannot know what happened. But the moment we found you and knew you were in danger, we had to bring you back." SM explained. How can he keep his voice like that?

"Where is the Chorus?" I asked, knowing that we could probably find the fourth person using it.

"Annihilated. Unmanned and without an onboard AI, Earth nearly atomized it." There goes my plan.

I looked back, finding that Anna had been brought with us.

"Don't tell me you plan on putting her in an arena."

"No, I do not plan on putting her in a combat position. But if we can prove to her that we aren't looking to conquer your planet-"

I interrupted quickly and loudly, "No! We know nothing of you! I don't even know the name of your military!"

"We are the Imperial Guard. We tried to keep everyone in order after the Ophiuchus Treaty, but it didn't work very well. The Tirid, prefer everything to be the way it was before the Treaty, though it cannot be." As SM spoke, he laced every word with what felt like truth. "Our Golden Age was interrupted by a war of greed. One of the newer... people wanted to obtain our great technologies and turn them toward our own, use them to overthrow our government.

"The war went on for many yeaers in your time, but the cause was forgotten with new generation. The Ophiuchus Treaty was created and signed. The known as Tirid wouldn't stand for it, so they fought it. Now we are here." How did he put so much emotion into those words?

"So you're still trying to keep up a treaty that many don't agree with?" I asked, putting his story into a single sentence.

"Correct." He sounded disappointed with himself about the same time the look of realization spread across his face.

"Sounds like you might be on the wrong side." I told him.

SM slithered over to his controls and adjusted a few before moving back to me. "I must do my job. I- I can't abandon it. I've done piloting for... a long time." I could see the regret of his actions painted across his face.

"I hear the military will demonize their enemy. Is that what yours does?" Alex asked. He must've been listening in.

"I have been taught that Tirid were childich and ignorant, refusing to acept what is brought before them. That they'd rather put the lives of their children in danger over a belief rather than be well. They blew up many Utzogoleri centers, risking billions. I could see that he was justifying his actions once more as he worked the consoles again.

"May we look through the files about the Utzogoleri incidents?" Grace asked, joining in on the conversation as well.

"They aren't translated for you." SM stated, "But if you feel you need to." Three of his hands moved swiftly through the air where a holographic display apppeared. It was swept across the room over to the three of us.

"Savvy, can you read this for us?" I asked. I held my arm up and Savvy began to translate the alien symbols.

"Are you sure you can't read it?" Savvy asked, though she continued to translate.

"It's all Greek to me." I responded.

"It is, actually. Your race calls this language Greek. It would seem that they didn't get very many terms correct. The history of your planet is incorrect, from my understanding." Savvy explained nonchalantly. That got quite a reaction from Grace, while I just sat there and appeared dumbfounded.

"Oh, Grace. How is it that you knew how to fly the fighter?" I asked. I'd been wondering how she did that. "And the Chorus?"

"When I wasn't being forced to learn proper table manners and how to be... rich... I tried learning how to pilot a plane. It was much more fun than trying to use the right fork for a salad." Grace answered.

"There's a fork meant specifically for salads?" Alex asked, making the confusion very apparent, even if you were deaf.

"Yes, I don't know why. I was in Advanced Health Class in school as well. That is something that stuck with me." Grace continued. "The thought of magic excited me, to be honest."

"Zo why is it you agreed to boarding our craft?" SM asked. I remember asking this question, many days ago, to both of them. For some reason, their answer slips my mind.

"There was no way I'd have stayed in one place. If you could die of boredom, I'd have died quickly." Grace answered.

"What about you, Alek, what is your motive?" SM asked, shifting his gaze.

"I guess I can say. Should I give the whole story or the short version?" Alex responded. I couldn't see him be as bothered by the mispronunciation of his name.

"The whole tale." SM answered. Grace and I nodded our heads, also intrigued by the story.

"My brother had been in a sort of gang war, both going and shooting each other over drugs and territory. Anyway, my brother got into some trouble and called me to bail him out. He'd been caught by the other gang and none of his 'friends' would get him out. I killed about... fifteen or twenty people that night. I barely escaped the police. Had I not gone answered yes to this, I'd be rotting in prison." Alex explained. He killed... he killed nearly two dozen people to save his brother. I think the only person without blood directly on their hands would be Grace.

"That's hardly a complete story." Grace commented, breaking me out of my thought process.

"Well what do you want, my day-to-day schedule? It isn't that full." Alex retorted. "My neighborhood sucked, the gangs sucked worse, and we had to have armored school buses. There were shootings every day! If someone knew you had five bucks, they'd shoot you for it. A decent car? You're lucky to keep your head in one piece."

"Yes. Now you Sam, why are you here?" SM asked. His eyes pierced my skull and I felt very compelled to answer.

"I uh... it was an accident." I answered. Grace and Alex looked at each other, as if someone could miss the giant spaceship in the sky. "I was just walking along and I heard a question, so I thought it'd be funny to answer the question. This is what I got." I gestured to the entire room, showing that it wasn't all bad.

As SM was about to speak, Anna began to stir.

Chapter 14 complete!

Summary: Anna, Grace, Alex, and Sam are teleported back to the Excalibur. Sam, in an emotional rage, attacks SM but is calmed down. SM interviews each of the team members while Anna is passed out, giving some insight into why everyone is where they are.