The Pilgrim of Cele — 1

“Shove him out the airlock for all I care.”

“But sir, the law guarantees him a trial.”

“Maybe you didn’t hear me Lieutenant, I said shove his ass out an airlock. Murderers like Paul Kane have no right stowing-away on MY SHIP!”

“Captain, the law states…”

“THIS IS MY SHIP! I AM THE LAW!”

Paul Kane groaned as he was tossed like a rag doll into a life-pod. A life-pod. He was surprised that he wasn’t simply thrown out the airlock into the vacuum of cold, dark, and empty space. Paul shivered at the thought. After all the allegations were true. He was a murderer and deserved the death penalty, but such rough treatment was hardly warranted.

“Where are you sending me?” Paul shouted at his captors. They ignored him. One naval officer paced the metallic floor in front of the pod while the other punched in data to the pod terminal.

“Paul Kane, you thought you could get away didn’t you?” The pacing officer sneered. “Thought you could stow-away on a colony ship and forget your past? Well think again. I had friends on Weller Station you son-of-a-bitch.”

“I had nothing to do with the bombings.” Paul was quick to assert.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” The officer drew a side arm and shoved it muzzle first into Paul’s forehead. The force slammed Paul’s head into the metal side of the pod. “You killed for them. You are one of them and you deserve to die.”

“HEY!” The other officer shouted. “STAND DOWN!”

The officer holstered his weapon, but the hatred and aggression remained red on his grimaced face.

“We don’t stoop to his level.” The calm officer continued.

“Aren’t you just going to send him to his death anyway?” The angry officer retorted.

“No. That’s not what this is.”

“Seems like it.” The officer grunted.

“No.” The calm officer said, walking to the front of the pod where Paul sat. He stooped down to eye-level. “No, Paul Kane will either die cold and hungry in the dead of empty space with nothing but his conscience, or he will be picked up by pirates who will treat him to a fate worse than death.” The officer stood up straight and took a deep breath. “How’s that for justice?”

The angry officer lightened up to a chuckle. “Good enough for me. I just don’t see why we can’t send him out the airlock like the captain ordered.”

“Because we aren’t murderers. Never forget that.”

The life-pod’s hatch closed with a clank, leaving Paul in darkness. He rubbed the back of his head where it hit the side of the pod. He felt the blood wet his fingertips as he brushed them through his short black hair. He reached his hands out in front of him. His hands met the cold metal hatch that damned him to his solitary fate.

Paul’s stomach lurched from the force of the life-pod being jettisoned into space. This was it. His sins were finally catching up with him and for once in his life, Paul felt like he got what he deserved: a slow death in the vast expanse of nothingness.

Paul felt warmth all around him. There was light surrounding him. He tried to open his eyes, but squinted because the light was too bright.

“He’s awake. Quick, get Brother Kelly.”

“What? Am I dead?” Paul asked. His eyes slowly adjusted to the brightness of the room.

“You aren’t dead, but you are risen. Bless us all.”

Paul found himself lying on a plain bed in what looked like a med-bay on a ship. A man in simple clothing sat next to him with a kind smile on his gentle face. “Where am I?”

Before the man could answer a small group of people shuffled into the room led by a man with a short beard and soft blue eyes. The group whispered in hushed tones to each other, but silenced when the bearded man raised his hand.

“Could it be?” He muttered to himself as he closed the distance to Paul’s bed. The man shook his head and ordered everyone to leave the room.

“Where am I?” Paul asked again. The man with the beard sat down in a chair next to the bed.

“You are aboard the Ark, we are on a colony mission to a planet called Cele. It will be our new home. You can call me Brother Kelly. What is your name?”

Paul hesitated. If the officers didn’t leave any identification on the pod then for all these people knew, he could be anybody. This was his chance to start anew. He could finally stop running from the law.

“I know you are still getting your bearing, but I assure you, you can trust me. I won’t hurt you and I promise that nobody on this ship will hurt you. We are good peace-loving people.”

Paul was sure that if Kelly knew his real name he wouldn’t be so kind. Paul Kane was marked as the leader of the terrorist group that bombed Weller Station. That, of course, wasn’t true. He was merely a scapegoat, but that didn’t exactly make him innocent. No, nobody can know who I really am. Who I really was.

“Samuel.” Paul said. “My name is Samuel.”

Brother Kelly froze and his eyes widened as he stared across the room. Shit, he knows I’m lying. Paul thought. Maybe there was identification in the pod and Kelly was just testing him. Paul felt the blood rush to his face.

“And his name shall be called Samuel…” Brother Kelly whispered without moving a muscle. In a subtle twitch, Kelly’s attention returned to Paul. “Sorry. Well Brother Samuel, please make yourself at home. We are truly blessed to have you aboard.”

With that, Brother Kelly turned and left the room. Paul sat up in the bed confused. What was that all about? Moments passed. Then he began laughing.

I’m free. I’m finally free.

Editor’s Note: Please comment below if you’d like to write one of the next chapters in this new book: The Pilgrim of Cele. For those of you who are new, this is a collaborative book with a different person authoring each chapter. We’ve had exciting results in The Afterworld Saga. Chad and I hope that this new book will allow more writers to participate in The Unending Tales.