In the last instalment of A World To Depart. Cutter's house was visited by some Off-worlders. While they and his parents talked he was sent outside. While out there he went with some of the other kids from his road, to the barracks of his colony, where an angry mob assassinated the Director of the Colony. Fighting ensued afterwards between the military and civilians. Leaving many dead and a string of chaos in their wake. Cutter made it back to his parents in time to see them gunned down in the streets, he broke down into tears. At that point, he was picked up and brought to the ship of the two Star Jumpers who had visited his house earlier.
This chapter part here concludes the Epilogue chapter of the book and is the origin story of the main character of the story. Here is a link if you want to read Part 1 of Cutter's fairly tragic tale.
@killerwot/a-world-to-depart-epilogue
"Kart. Go easy on the kid he's just lost both of his parents. As well as his home, by the look of things out there." The second man said with a slight bitterness in his voice. He then kneeled down and looked into Cutter's eyes. "Are you okay?"
Cutter couldn't think of a word to say, knowing that if he responded he wouldn't be able to hold back his tears. Instead, he just looked down.
"I didn't know your parents well, I don't know if you have any family or close friends outside of this place." Cutter shook his head. He couldn't think of anyone. All he could think about were the soldiers walking through the streets shooting anyone who stood in their way.
The man stood up, Cutter watched him as he turned to Kart. "He's pretty shaken up, I'll take him down to the doc. She'll know what to do." Kart responded with a shake of his head. "Not a chance Hackett, you need to get this ship off-world now. If they come knocking on our door we'll be dragged off and charged with, well, anything. Could even say we were the ones that took down that frigate of theirs." Kart said, with no patience in his voice.
Hackett let out a sign as he looked down at Cutter and back to Kart. "Well, you take him down to the doc then. I'll get us in the air." "What? We can't keep him Hackett!" Kart shouts. "What would you suggest? I can't think of any other option."
Kart looked down at Cutter while shaking his head. "This ship is no place for a kid. We need to just leave him here. With his people."
"His people have been all but massacred out there." Hackett seemed to be close to shouting, but, stayed calm. "This ship isn't the best place for him, I'll agree with you there. But, we can't leave him here. We'll find somewhere quiet in the next few weeks where we can leave him." Hackett rubbed his face with his hand. "Until then though get him to the doc." Hackett said, before walking away.
Kart grabbed Cutter by the scruff of his shirt and threw him over one shoulder. Being carried once more, Cutter helplessly looked around the ship as he was carried along. If everything hadn't happened today, he would have been excited to actually see the inside of Star Jumpers ship. But, there was no excitement in him. The repetitive beating of Kart's boots against the floor made his eyelids feel heavy; as did the steady motion with each stride Kart took. After a while, he closed his eyes and drifted away to sleep.
His sleep felt more like a daydream, that he couldn't control. He could hear the chaotic sounds of gunfire, explosions, screaming and then his name being called. He woke in a slight panic as a door opened, it sounded like no door he'd ever heard before.
Kart stepped inside a slightly cluttered room as far as he could see, with blinding white lights above. "What's been going on out there? We heard the gunfire and didn't know whether or not to send people out for a rescue mission." A woman said as Cutter was lowered to the ground to
stand beside Kart. "It wasn't us they were shooting at."
The doc shook her head at Kart and then noticed Cutter. She stood up from her desk and walked over to them. "And who is this?" She said as she crouched down to eye level with him. "The Captain said to bring him to you, to get a once over, Seems he'll be coming with us. The kid has seen some stuff he shouldn't of out there." Kart said in a sympathetic voice, or at least as sympathetic a voice as he could muster.
Kart took a step back, but, Cutter was too focused on the Doc. She was wearing a white coat, with symbols and insignias on it which Cutter was unfamiliar with. She was young and had warm eyes, which were a dark shade of blue. "Are you hurt?" She asked. Cutter shook his head. He hadn't been hurt, if he had he didn't feel it anyway. "Come and lay down up here." The woman said as she picked him up and sat him on a bed. While sitting facing the door to the room Cutter looked at Kart who was still standing at the exit.
"She's good at what she does kid, you can trust her." Kart said. Upon finishing he turned and stepped to the door which automatically opened. Then it shut behind him as he walked through it.
There was a hum in the room which he noticed as it went silent, after a minute or two of the doctor going through some drawers and briefly reading the odd manual she walked back over to him. "It must have been scary down there. You must be very confused." Cutter could only look at her, barely able to keep eye contact. "These are uncertain times, but, you'll be safe here. The captain of the ship is a good man. As well as Kart, he seems scary, but, underneath all that he's good too. Have you ever been on a spaceship?" She asked him.
"No. I always thought me and my parents would go on one." Cutter responded. His voice was horse after not talking for so long, he let out a cough after he finished. The woman went and got him a drink as he finished.
"I'm going to need to run some tests on you." The doctor's words sent a cold chill down his spine, he was afraid of his new surroundings. But, it wasn't the fear of being in these new surroundings that worried him. The thought on his mind was being alone. The more that thought crept in, the harder it was to focus on anything else. He could feel his lip quiver as all of the thoughts of his old life ran through his head faster than he could even think of them. He broke down. This time though, instead of being told to stop crying. He felt arms around him and could hear the doctor's voice, although, he couldn't make out her words. As she stroked his hair, she reminded him of his mother. His eyes were closed, but, he could see her. Smiling at him, the way she used to.
The ship was noisy. He sat alone in a room the captain had given to him, four walls and a bed was all he had. He looked at the door occasionally when we would hear the distant echo of voices outside come close to the door. He would sit up straight and prepare himself for someone to walk in, but each time the voices just drifted past, down the hallway outside. After his short sleep, he remained inside his room for hours, building the courage to leave it. But, every time he came close he would lose his nerve.
He remembered the captain saying that the cockpit was just out the door and to the right and straight ahead. He didn't want to sit in the room anymore. Cutter took a deep breath as he stood up and as he walked towards the door, it opened automatically. they were so quick that the wind from them blew his hair and sent a breeze across his face. They closed behind him after he stepped through.
Cutter looked around the brightly lit corridor, which was empty at this point. Although, he could still hear the sounds of mechanical churning and low hums coming from the ship itself. He walked, while looking around and came to the door he assumed was the one the captain told him about.
They opened smoothly and he could see there were a few people sitting around talking. He recognized the captain and Kart but, the other one he hadn't seen. They weren't human. They had scales, like one of the lizards back home. But, he was about the same height and build as the captain. His chin seemed to go up to his nose covering his mouth like some sort of beak.
"Well look who decided to join us." Kart said in a level tone as the other two stopped talking to turn and look at him. "Cutter. How are you feeling? Did you sleep well?" The captain asked, to which Cutter nodded. It wasn't entirely true.
"This here's my co-pilot, Baz-Janges" After the captain finished speaking Baz-Janges blankly looked at Cutter and then back to the captain. "Are you going to introduce him to the whole ship? Why not give him a detailed report on everyone on board, who we work for and what our cargo consists of." He said, almost hissing with each word that ended in an s. The captain's eyes narrowed. "He is a child, I told you already. Stop being paranoid."
Baz-Janges started to laugh, but, not the happy kind of laughing. "It's not paranoia, it's called being safe. He's a confederation citizen, he's going to be dropped off on a confederation world. Where they're going to ask him how he got from one colony to the next." Baz spoke fast and erratically. Kart looked him up and down slowly as he finished. "I think you've been getting into the sweet-sleep stores again."
Baz shakes his head slightly as he starts to walk to the door passing by Cutter as he goes. "Say whatever you want, I've had my say on the matter." With that, he leaves the room. Which falls silent, once the door shuts.
The captain looks over his control panel in front of him and looks over to Cutter. We're coming up to Bon-Allis now, we'll be dropping out of our jump lane in a minute. You'll love this, take a seat." Cutter walks up to one and sits down looking out the front window at the mesmerizing sight ahead of him. Blues, whites and greens, which seemed to dance randomly, one colour seemed to morph into the next slowly. There was even some shade there that he had never seen before.
"I just wanted to give the announcement to all aboard, we will soon be entering the lovely planet known as Bon-Allis so if anyone feels like getting out and stretching your legs get yourselves ready now." Cutter laughed lightly as he looked at the captain giving his end of flight speech, into a small device he was holding.
Soon the silence fell on the room again and they looked out to the window once more. The ship dropped out of its jump lane, instantly turning from the vast array of colours to space. Beeping erupted, While at the same time red lights started to flash in the cockpit. The captain frantically started to work over his control board, during the chaos. Cutter looked out the window and could see ships, in between them and the planet. To the right, in the distance, he could see flashes from some other ships which seemed to be in a firefight. Lights from the explosions were bright even from their distance.
"It's a blockade!" Kart shouted. "I know that Kart I can see them. We're getting a message coming through." A sound could be heard from one of the overhead speakers in the cockpit "You are currently in Confederation Space and have no business here. Turn back now or your ship will be fired upon." The captain instantly turns the ship around as he puts a few inputs into his control board.
"They don't need to tell me twice. We're going back to Jex." The captain says. "What the hell are Confederation ships doing attacking a Free-space planet?" Kart asks in a low growl. The captain hits a few buttons on the control board and as he does a jump lane opens up around them. The captain gave a sigh of relief and sat back in his chair, afterwards. "Did they say that we were in Confederation space?" Kart asked.
"Well, we've heard the rumours. Now we know, they were true. They've started a war."
End
Here is a link if you would like to read the latest part of this book released. Which, continues on Chiv Sketter's story with his second chapter.