1 The Dream Rider by Ernest Dempsey Page B

back into the seat I’d been
in previously. The tired eyes of the group around me stared, almost vacantly.
“Who are all of you?” I asked, finally.
    She smiled at me. Her grin seemed more of relief than
anything else. “My name is Nela. You have already met Jonas, our leader.”   She went around the group, introducing
each person. A few of the characters stuck out in my memory, especially the
black man from across the hall, Taurus. He was dressed differently, though and
I was curious as to why.
    “The bull,” I said to him. “Fitting for a guy as strong as
you.”   He gave me a puzzled glance.
“The bull? Taurus?”   It didn’t seem
to register with any of them. “On Earth, Taurus means bull.”  
    He smiled finally understanding. “On Sideros, Taurus means
thinker.”   He turned and
disappeared through a doorway without saying anything else.
    Nela continued with the introductions. Petra was the
large, red-haired man I’d bumped into. Near him was a woman with similar fiery
locks that cascaded down past her shoulders. Her legs were exposed from the
thighs down, showing off quads and calves that could crush a car. Her arms,
too, were rippled with muscles. She was clearly an imposing figure. They called
her Elda. I tried to remember everyone’s names, but that was something I had
always found difficult. If I remembered a few I would be good with that.
    “It’s nice to meet all of you,” I said awkwardly. “My name
is Finn McClaren, though, I guess you already know that.”   The group nodded.
    “I thought you would be bigger,” Petra said, cynically. He
peered at me with one eyebrow raised.
    “His physical size doesn’t matter,” Jonas insisted, easing
the tension. “He is the one we have been waiting for.”  
    “I’m sorry,” I interrupted. “Bigger? Why would I need to
be bigger? And the one you’ve been waiting for? Why have you been waiting for
me? You still haven’t explained why you have been watching me.”
    Petra laughed sarcastically and sloughed off towards a
stack of metal cups near a faucet in the corner.
    Jonas returned his attention to me while Nela sat down
nearby and the others gathered around. “Our planet is a small one, about
two-thirds the size of Earth. Many years ago, Mallock and his army came to this
world. His ships easily overcame our vastly outmatched armies. The war only
lasted a short time, after which Mallock named himself emperor of the entire
world. He built a wall around Sideron City and brought all of the planet’s
citizens here to work for him. While many are free to roam about the city, they
are never allowed to leave.”  
    “Like slaves,” I said quietly.
    “Yes,” Jonas agreed. “Exactly like slaves. That is
precisely what we are.”  
    “I don’t understand how he was able to conquer an entire
world. Why can’t you start a revolution? That’s what happens on Earth.”  
    Jonas smiled feebly. “Sideros was primitive compared to
his technology. We did not have the weapons to match Mallock’s firepower. We
may as well have tried to defend ourselves with sticks and rocks. He wiped out
entire villages and towns. Any survivors were brought here.”   Sadness filled his eyes. “My wife was
killed in the battle. She was very brave, even to the end.”   I could see Nela’s eyes were filled
with pain as well, but she fought off the tears.
    “I’m sorry,” I offered genuinely. I never knew what to say
to people who had experienced loss like that.
    His smile returned with some effort. “That was a long time
ago,” he responded. “We must focus on the present. You are here, and that is
all that matters.”
    “There you go again,” I interrupted. “What do you mean by
that? Do you think I’m some kind of hero or something? I don’t know if you
realize it but I’m just a college student, and I’m not even very good at
that.”  
    I could have sworn I heard another snort come from Petra
in the corner where he sipped water from a