by Jack Porter
My clothes were dirty, torn, and still splattered with blood, and I was sure my face wasn’t much different. And if that wasn’t enough, I’d sweated enough to stick half of the desert sand to my skin.
Yet none of that mattered. Uma apparently saw past all that, or perhaps she didn’t care. And besides, her clothing was also a bit torn and bloodied as well.
So I took half a step forward.
She closed her eyes and leaned toward me, and that was all the permission I needed. I leaned down and kissed her once on the lips, enjoying her surprisingly fresh taste, the hint of the sea in her scent. Then I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her more deeply.
It was as if I had awoken something passionate, something animalistic inside her. She crushed herself against me, her arms and fingers digging into my back, her breath coming in gasps between kisses.
I felt my body respond, and knew that I was a heartbeat away from lowering her to the ground and ripping her clothes clean off her, exposing her feminine curves to the world as I had my way with her.
But this world was dangerous still, and part of me still remembered that I was supposed to be keeping watch. So I reined myself in just a little, and let my hands drift lower, enjoying the shape of her ass even as I tasted her tongue with my own.
For long moments, we continued, with most other thoughts gone from my mind. It was a long time since I had enjoyed the company of anyone like her, and my body reacted accordingly.
I knew she could feel my erection pressed against her, and she confirmed it by pushing us a little apart and reaching for it through my clothes. I wanted to lower my head, to perhaps kiss one of her breasts through her top. But before I could, Uma paused, breathing harder than usual, but looking away.
“Uma?” I said.
She looked up at me. “I’m covered in dirt,” she said. “What I wouldn’t give for a shower.”
“I don’t mind,” I said.
“But I do.” She took a deep breath and let it out almost as a sigh.
“You’re sure we’ll find water up ahead?” she said.
“You’ve seen the clouds yourself. There’s water there.”
Perhaps I should have lied.
“Then that will be soon enough.” With a knowing look that was almost a promise, she reached up and tapped me on the end of my nose. “Get us to the water,” she said. “And I’ll give you a reward.”
With that, she spun out of my grip, looked at me one more time, then headed back into the shelter.
She left me all alone, with my erection slowly fading away into nothing and, no doubt, my balls gently turning blue.
Once again, I kept watch until the Commander took over. When she did, I found myself a spot fairly close to Deeve, but, disappointingly, the athletic woman was dead to the world, snoring gently. As were the others.
I was tired as well, so I closed my eyes and knew nothing more.
Some time later, we all heard the sounds of animals in the night. It sounded for all the worlds like a pack of hyenas, but they were distant. I thought that whatever they were, they’d found all the meat they required in the form of dead flyers.
I listened for a few minutes only, then went back to sleep.
Chapter 26
There was an atmosphere of uncertainty when next I was fully awake. It seemed that most everybody was keen to get moving. But Sydney’s injuries had stiffened while she slept, and she could put no weight on her leg at all.
We were all gathered around beneath the canvas shelter, discussing what to do.
“What if we put together a splint?” Uma asked.
Sydney looked willing to try, but I could see the doubt on her face. I knew that even with a pair of crutches, she would find the going difficult.
“Ride the sled,” I said.
It was an obvious answer, but it seemed that I was the only one to have thought of it.
And again, Sydney seemed uncertain. “But… my added weight…?” she said.
“We’ll manage,” I said.
The others seemed to like the idea. “At least we can give it a try,” Deeve said. “Maybe we’ll be a little slower. But how long is it going to take your leg to heal?”
It was a valid point. We all knew that it might take several days before Sydney could easily walk again, and even then, it wouldn’t be a good idea to put any pressure on her, for her wound might split open again.
The decision made, we broke down the camp, with the girls doing what needed to be done with enthusiasm. It seemed that the break and the brief moment of fun had restored their spirits.
Even Jayloo, who until then had typically responded to most anything with scowls and combativeness, seemed almost happy.
We were ready in record time, with the five most able-bodied people climbing into their harnesses, and Deeve and Kia helping Sydney onto the sled.
The way we put it together, there was a natural seat near the front, and it was there that Sydney sat, taking pains to keep her leg as straight as possible.
But just before we were ready to go, the environmentalist burst into a surprising fit of giggles. We all turned toward her, not understanding. She tried to rein her giggling in, but that just made it worse, and for long moments, she was helpless, falling over herself with laughter.
Finally, she managed to get herself under control enough to gesture toward us.
“Go Blitzen!” she blurted. “Go Dasher! Go Vixen!”
And that was enough. Kia and Jayloo both laughed out loud, and Deeve offered an appreciative groan. As for me, I couldn’t help but smile even as I shook my head and turned back around.
But Sydney wasn’t yet done. Still giggling, still enjoying herself immensely, she called out once more.
“Mush!” she said.
We lurched into motion and began to work our way across the sandy bottom of the canyon, with Sydney intermittently giggling from her seat behind us.
My estimation proved to be about right. It took us half a day to reach the far side of the canyon. Getting our supplies to the top was a reverse of the earlier process, only this time, Jayloo was certain that she could make her own way up.
The problem was Sydney. With that leg of hers, she couldn’t make even the comparatively easy climb up.
So we helped her into a harness, and between Uma and me, we got her to the top.
Likely, I could have done it reasonably easily by myself. But having Uma’s strength to call upon if needed wasn’t a bad thing.
“Good thing it wasn’t me,” the Commander said. “With a wounded leg. Would you have been able to lift me up to the top?”
We’d had a very similar conversation before, but this time, it seemed there was an additional edge to it, as if she was testing me.
“I would have managed,” I said. Then I grinned at her. “But maybe not this way. It would have been easier to just throw you over my shoulder while I clambered up.”
Uma didn’t know how to respond to that. She started to say something, stopped, gave me a puzzled look, and tried again.
“You think you could do that?”
“I’m stronger than I look,” I said.
Uma nodded. “And you look pretty strong,” she said.
She didn’t say anything else, but I got the feeling that I’d said something right. She was a solidly-built woman, and it seemed she liked the idea of feeling delicate and feminine.
Not something she would have experienced a lot of, I imagined.
Finally, we were done. We had everything up to the top, and were ready to go once again.
A quick glance ahead of us showed the line of green to be much closer than it had been before, and with it, those clouds and their promise of rain.
There wasn’t a distinct boundary between the sandy wasteland and the green belt. Instead, the transition was gradual, defined at first by scrawny, dried out plants that seemed to reach for the sunlight.
But as the air grew cooler, our shadows becoming taller, and the sun sinking toward t
he horizon behind us, the plants grew bigger, more varied and robust.
We were still some distance away from the looming clouds, but we could already sense a change in the air.
No longer was it hot, dry, and full of dust. Instead, the air now tasted fresh, and carried with it a hint of moisture.
It was also not quite as bright as it was out in the middle, although there was still plenty of light for the plants to grow. And, it was clear, enough water in the soil that they could do so.
That wasn’t the only difference between the edge of the green belt and further in. As well as the plants, there was an increasing abundance of wildlife.
Nothing major, not so far at least, but every step we took seemed to disturb some kind of bug or small hopping creature, and more than once something slithered into the burgeoning bush.
And with that increase in life there came an associated increase in ambient noise.
We could hear the breeze rustling through the leaves of the bushes around us, but also, we could hear a variety of chirps, of honks, of high-pitched squeaks and squeals that the wildlife used to call to one another.
And perhaps not just the wildlife. More than once, I noticed a plant of some kind move of its own volition. One in particular looked like a football with a tangle of silver fronds projecting from the top. As we approached, the football seemed to compress itself inward, deflating, and making a noise like a whoopee cushion in the process.
It was enough to bring a smile back to several of us, and Jayloo scowled at the plant.
“Excuse you!” she said, and that earned a quiet laugh as we moved on.
But we couldn’t continue over this new terrain forever. Eventually, the plant life grew thick enough that we couldn’t wade through it.
The makeshift sled ground to a halt, as did we all.
We’d been walking for a day and a half since climbing out of the canyon. Our water supplies were holding up well, and it was clear that this would no longer be a problem.
The only real question was what to do now that we’d reached the limit of where we could take the sled.
With evident relief, the girls climbed out of their harnesses and found themselves somewhere to sit. Sydney didn’t bother to move from her position on the supplies beyond shuffling out of the way enough that we could access the water and a container of rations.
It had been a good couple of days since we had been last attacked by something that wanted to eat us, and the mood was buoyant.
“So,” Uma said, taking the lead once again. “This is as far as the sled goes. What’s next?”
“The goal is the same,” I said. I gestured to the surrounding plant life. “If we’re going to survive, we need water, food, and shelter. Which means that if the sled is going no further, than perhaps we set up a temporary shelter here, and scout out a more permanent location?”
I framed it as a question, but really, there wasn’t any other option. And the girls knew it.
The only question was whether we could find somewhere suitable within walking distance of where we were right then.
“Somewhere we can defend,” Deeve said, and there was a muted chorus of agreement.
“Water, food, shelter, and protection,” I amended.
Sydney was grinning again. Ever since she had been riding on the sled instead of walking, it seemed that she had regained the humor that had been promised in her expression from day one.
“A coffee machine and a minibar would be quite good too,” she said.
Jayloo and Kia both laughed, and even Uma allowed herself a wry smile. “If we’re going to go that far, then why not look for a way off this rock as well?”
Unfortunately, she had misjudged her words. Instead of adding to the humor, it seemed to take some of it away, as the girls once more faced the reality that we were stuck there.
“Works for me,” I said, trying to keep the tone light. “But it looks like we’ll be splitting up, with some of us staying here to guard the supplies while others explore to look for a suitable location.” I looked to Sydney. “I take it you will be one of those who stays?”
The environmentalist nodded. “Sure. No problem. After all, it might be nice to sit down for a while after all this walking I’ve been doing.”
There was humor in her words, but also a bit of a bite. As I could understand. It had to be frustrating for her.
“I’ll stay,” Jayloo said, and I looked to the others.
“I could go by myself, but it probably makes more sense to bring at least one of you with me, just in case.” I looked at each of Uma, Deeve, and Kia in turn, and saw that both Deeve and Uma were making up their minds.
At almost at the same time, they spoke.
“I’ll go with you,” they both said.
Then they looked to each other.
“At least one of you needs to stay, in case the others need help defending against some kind of attack,” I said.
My words seemed to resonate with Uma’s sense of responsibility. “Okay, then,” she said. She looked at Deeve and me, and I thought she might have been thinking about things other than just the pragmatic realities of the situation.
But she didn’t say anything, and instead spoke to Kia. “Do you sense anything? Any danger approaching?”
The psychic thought about it. She wrinkled her forehead, and for a moment, seemed uncertain. “I think it would be best if you and Adam went together,” she said.
I had to admit, that wasn’t the response I had expected. “You sense something?” I asked.
“Nothing definite. I just feel like it would be safer that way.”
Deeve seemed a bit disappointed by this, and I got the impression she had been looking for some alone time with me. But she put on a brave face nevertheless. “Well, good luck,” she said to us both. “We can set the camp up while you’re gone. I hope you find somewhere good.”
“So do I,” I agreed.
There wasn’t anything else that needed to be said, nor was there any reason to delay. Uma and I both drank from the supplies, doing our best to ignore the stale taste of the water. We also ate our fill of the rations, and then we were ready to go.
Surprisingly, it was Jayloo who seemed most anxious about our departure.
“What if you don’t come back?” she blurted.
“We’ll come back,” I said.
“But what if you don’t?”
It was a valid question, one which didn’t have an answer beyond the obvious. They would have to do what they could to survive. But that was too somber a note to leave them on, so I just tried to reassure her.
“We will.”
Uma did what she could to lighten the mood.
“See you all soon,” she said, and the others all chimed in with similar sentiments.
With that, the two of us set off, with me carrying my club, and Uma wielding one of the larger knives like a machete.
We forged our way through the vegetation and soon found ourselves in a true jungle.
Chapter 27
I’d worked my way through many jungles on many different worlds. This one was bursting with life, with thick, twisted trunks covered in patches of green or purple, with spikes jutting out from every direction, leaves and flowers that withdrew into themselves as Uma and I made our way past.
It was so pleasantly cool away from the direct heat of the sun, with not a hint of wind at ground level to disturb the bushes.
But it was far from quiet. The noises that had begun outside the jungle continued within, and were joined by many more. Animals, birdlike things, a hundred hidden creatures called to one another, crashing through branches as they sought to evade predators or attack prey, depending on their nature.
More than once, within a very short space of time, we heard the sounds of carnage as some creature or other met its fate.
I saw that Uma was clutching her knife with white-knuckled fervor, and flinched often, trying to keep watch on everything at once.
“Relax,
” I told her. “Not everything here is trying to eat us,”
I said it with a smile in my voice, and my words served their purpose. Uma consciously unclenched.
But I was worried.
There was a lot of danger in these trees. I could sense it in the potentially venomous flying snake-like things I’d seen, in the sticky, amorphous colony of somethings that moved slowly but seemed to kill with every touch, in the many hidden nightmares within every shadow.
This was the type of place where it wasn’t safe to let your guard down for a moment.
Uma sensed it as well. “Is this really where we want to set up some sort of camp?” she asked, watching a delicate floating thing, one of many brightly colored floaters drifting along on the air currents.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But we have none of the things we need outside. No water, no food, and no real protection from anything, unless you count the canvases we put up for shelter. In here–look,” I said.
I pointed to a trickle of water running between two large tree trunks. My sensors told me that this water was safe to drink.
“That’s the first sign of surface water we’ve seen on this world. And there’s obviously food around here as well. Once we learn the dangers of this place, we’ll be okay.”
Uma nodded, but I could see she was still uncertain. As she should have been, given the doubts in my own mind.
“What are we looking for?” she said. “What makes a good place to settle?”
I was reminded that surviving on strange planets was a long way from the Commander’s area of expertise.
By then, there was enough moisture in the air that I was sure we’d reached the edge of the rain clouds above. The trickle of surface water I’d seen would not be the last.
“We’re basically looking for a cave, a collection of rocks, or some other place where we can shut ourselves in and not worry about anything coming after us. Somewhere where the requirements of life are in easy reach. Food and water, mostly. It’s not really complicated.”
