Leaving Rajike by H. Elizabeth (important books to read txt) 📕

I came to the realization that I was alone. Completely and utterly alone. I just sat there, pondering what I could’ve done differently. What I could’ve done to abandon the position I found myself in at this moment. But, of course, I couldn’t do anything now. No, I brought this upon myself, acting foolishly, as most young men act.
I sat there, with my head resting on my knees, when the sound of footsteps became audible. I brought up my head and saw a dark silhouette appear. However, I knew who the being was, and anger began to spread throughout my veins.
The figure chuckled as they approached the iron bars that held me hostage. “Hello, Erik,” the voice said to me. I sat silent. The figure nodded to the large guard who was standing outside my prison cell, and he pulled a silver key out of his pocket, unlocking the keyhole. The figure slowly walked forward, and as they emerged into what light that was shining through the space high above my head, I began to see the features of their cruel, bitter face. Knikkio Trent’s ruthless smile spread about that wrinkled, old face of his. I growled.
Trent stood there for a moment, his hands resting on his cane. The cane itself was a creation of the devil - the top of the cane was a crystal orb with powers of unspeakable uncertainty. The only thing I know of its power, is that it has the awesome, ultimate power to destroy a human life and suck the soul into the shaft of the stick Trent took hold of.
Knikkio was a brilliant man - evil, cruel and horrible - but brilliant. He had taken over my planet; enslaving all the people on it. Just the thought of my home brings the anger back to me. Because of my own stupidity, the planet Rajike was in more peril than when I left it.
Left it - to save it.

Nine days ago was where my journey began. Nine days ago is when Knikkio Trent sent his army fleet to my home - the planet Rajike.

Rajike is a small planet with a population of just over 25,000 people. As well as the human species, there is tens of thousands of little creatures (made in the Galactic Government Base, no doubt - I’ve been alive after they were sent here, so I don’t know for sure -) called corris. Corris are stout, furry creatures that have a vague resemblance to a dog, although it stands on its’ hind legs. They’re used to help the people of Rajike to survive.

The planet itself is covered with trees upon trees and shrubbery. There are a few lakes on this planet, but mostly trees. The people here survive from the lakes and the leaves of trees. 

My whole life, I wanted adventure. I wanted to explore the worlds beyond my own. I was sick and tired of trees. I wanted to see the desert planets. The snow planets. Anything but Rajike. I spent almost twenty years here; supporting my parents and myself. The Government has a strict law for this planet - and this planet only - that each couple can only have one child. It’s been a lonely life. The other children, as well as myself, went to school for two years taught by a Government Administrator at the ages of thirteen and fourteen, and then we were dismissed to live our lives. Not like anyone on Rajike needed the education - there’s no business or jobs or anything on this planet. Our purpose in life is to survive.

So that’s what I’ve done - Survived. I go out, hunt for food, and bring it back to my family. That’s all I’d ever done - until nine days ago.

I had snuck out of my home in the middle of the night to gaze at the stars and other planets. I did this often - it calmed me. But I couldn’t help but wish I was somewhere else. My life here was just to survive. I wanted to do more. 

I lay on the grass, eyes closed, when I heard the crinkling of plants. I knew that sound well - someone was coming. I lifted up my head to see who it was. I smiled as Livetta came and sat down beside me.

Livetta Yipun was the peace in my life - she was my other half. The tradition of Rajike is that of arranged marriages; she was the girl I was set to live my life with. Lucky for me, wether I was going to have to rebel or not, I decided years ago that she was already going to be the one I married. She and her parents lived close to my home, so we saw each other often and grew up the best of friends - and now, I suppose, we were set to grow old together as the best of friends.

We would stargaze together often. Like this night, it was a beautiful sight to see - above the towering trees, you could see a deep blue sky at nighttime; with hundreds upon hundreds of different colored planets and stars in the galaxy.

I closed my eyes again. The cool night breeze was relaxing, and the trees whispered their beautiful song of rustling leaves. Suddenly, I felt the warmth of Livetta’s hand on my hand. She sighed heavily. Somehow, it sounded sad to me.

“Are you okay?” I asked her softly.

She smiled weakly back at me. “I suppose. I just feel uneasy at the moment. It’s like a signal.”

I lifted up my head to look at her straight. “What do you mean?”

“When there’s danger,” she said, “the signals go off instantly and red lights go flashing, am I correct?” I nodded. “That’s what I feel like - or, what I started feeling a when I left my home.”

I shrugged. “I doubt it’s anything. What could possibly happen? I’m turning twenty in nine days, then we’ll be husband and wife. And we’ll have great adventures together and nothing can ever come between us.”

She smiled again. “Trovan, you are too much.”

I smiled and wrapped my arm around her. She laughed as she looked up back at me. Her beautiful blue eyes looked directly into my brown ones. Her smile always made me crazy - she had the most perfect, white teeth ever imaginable, with her pearly, pale skin and her curly, strawberry blonde hair - she was almost too perfect. It was hard to imagine someone as amazing as she was was looking forward to a life with average me - with Trovan Erik - the guy who never spoke much, wasn’t a sight to look at, and nothing out of the ordinary. A perfectly average guy like me was going to be married to a perfect girl like Livetta Yipun.

A few minutes passed and I felt my angel slowly start to drift to sleep. I was pretty tired too (from a long day of attempting to hunt a Corri - illegally,) and my eyes uncontrollably started to shut.

My mind started thinking elsewhere; and I was in a happy place - a perfect, joyful moment.

And the next morning was the shattering of that moment.

I awoke to an unusual booming. I sat bolt upright; I didn’t know if I had imagined the sound or not. It almost sounded like the engine of a starship - but those were only used by members of the Government. They had never been to Rajike before, not once, in over a thousand years (and that was only for sending Corris into each home to work as a “helper” or “slave” or ‘Whatever you wish to do with them’). My heart was pounding out of my chest and I stood up, breathing quite loudly.

Livetta obviously heard my intense breathing. She awoke slowly. She sat up, looked around, then immediately looked worried. “We didn’t fall asleep out here, did we?” I nodded to her, though still focusing on the starship. “This isn’t good, Trovan,” she said to me as she stood up.

I looked at her. “What’s the matter?”

“We have never been out here for more than, what two hours? If anyone knows we were out here, our heads are going in the Government facility or who knows what will happen!”

I stared at her for a while. And then, I noticed, that something wasn’t right. I looked around frantically, trying desperately to focus on what was keeping my attention.

Livetta looked confused. “What are you doing? Do you not care that we may be locked up into a prison or somewhere?”

My eyes travel to a large, white boulder that I’ve seen dozens of times before. But it was different… I walked slowly towards it; analyzing every bump, crack, everything on the rock. And then I saw it.

I gasped, then covered my mouth. I turned towards Livetta, grabbed her by the hand, and viciously pulled her to my home.

“WHAT…. ARE…. YOU…. DOING?!” She yelled at me through staggered breaths as I sprinted. I didn’t reply, though. It was too dangerous. We made it the few hundred feet to my home, and as soon as we were inside, I slammed the weak, wooden door and started gasping for breath.

I looked at Livetta. “That’s why we fell asleep,” I said.

“What? What’s why?” she responded through gasps of air.

“The gas! There is purple gas everywhere around us! Anyone who was outside for who knows how late has been effected by it!” My heart skips. “AND I KNOW WHY IT’S HERE!” Once again I had my feet move me as quick as they possibly could. Except this time I headed to the village square. As we came upon the brush that is just on the outskirts of the square, Livetta stopped me. “Wait,” she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper, “Do you hear that?”

I leaned in closer. I could hear it - whatever it was. The sound was piercing: somewhat of random zaps and shrieks. I carefully pulled apart the brush surrounding us to take a look at what was happening. As the view came upon us, Liv gasped and I could tell she had to hold back a scream.

The sight was that of an unfathomable horror - the people of Rajike were in a single file line tied together with rope around their wrists. Meanwhile further back, my eyes fell upon the stampeding corris running around frantically. All of them were screaming as they were being chased by Imperial Guards carrying large, electric spears. I had never seen the spears up close, but now I was able to witness the monstrosity of them. The poor corris would run around, but to no avail, as the ruthless guards would stab them with the sharp end of the spear, and then volts of electricity would finish the creatures off.

Liv definitely could not have been more shaky. She looked up at me and whispered, “You don’t think they would do that… to US… right?” I knew she was reffering to the corris. And