Landi
By Judi Lynne
Prologue
Landi surveyed the landscape of her barren planet from her rooftop turret. The once green, fertile landscape was now brown and dry. All natural resources were used for expenses incurred due to the war. The other heavy expense to the Urabus civilization was the almost complete elimination of the male population by the Xandas. The only healthy males left were the old men and the very young boys, both excluded from war.
Earlier in the decade, the Xandas’ chief had murdered her father. Now years later after the proper schooling and military training, she was at the age to take over as ruler of Urabus.
She picked up her view glasses to look at the shiny object that was approaching her home. She was relieved to see her sister, bodyguards at her side, on her landhover. She was hoping for news from the battle of Korndalt.
She descended the turret ladder to the ground where she met her twin sister Lierdra. The female bodyguards stood at attention beside their landhovers.
“How goes the war, Lierdra?”
“Not well,” she said, her eyes looking down. “We were able to hold on to Korndalt, but we lost ten more men. Throughout all of Urabus, we have but fifty male warriors left.”
Landi closed her eyes and said a prayer to the Spirit Above for the lost men.