“I think we’re about ready. We need to get out of here.”
My tziu was crouched down on one knee, Pira cradled in his arm as she hiccupped. Maerit was a little more composed as he patted his sister on the back and knuckled his wet eyes with his other hand.
“Hey guys”—I crouched down next to the kids—“look what I made for you. See these bags? We each have one with the things we need. You guys gotta be my brave soldiers and carry yours, okay?” I didn’t know what to do with kids. I’d never been around them much, but I’d give this approach a chance.
Yaseke and I couldn’t carry them and still manage our own bags and weapons.
Maerit nodded. “I can do it,” he said staunchly. “I said I’d be strong for Pira. I can carry hers too.”
Pira leaned back in Yaseke’s arms. “I can carry mine,” she protested. “I’m strong too!”
Thank heavens for sibling rivalry.
I smiled at them, holding out their bags. “That’s my brave soldiers. We’re going to get out of here, find a nice place to rest, and wait for our friends to come pick us up. Sound good?”
“Do I get to sleep on a bed?” Pira asked. “I have a soft bed at home.”
“Well, it probably won’t be like your bed at home,” Yaseke said. “But I’m sure Dade will find us a great place.”
He reached over and squeezed my shoulder after we helped the kids shoulder their bags. “Now we just have to find a hatch.” We picked up our bags, which were much bigger. I slung mine over one shoulder, wincing as it banged against some of my bruises. I’d taken the most of the burden, plus I had several extra weapons stashed in my bag.
I handed Yaseke one of the Vlrsessiums’ stolen weapons. He took it and then leaned in and lightly kissed me. “Lead the way.”
Someone was looking out for us out there, somewhere. I didn’t have to find a hatch. Not fifteen feet from the door to the cockpit was a giant fucking hole. Leading the way, I cautiously approached the jagged opening.
We’d landed on a giant field of rocks. They were huge, towering above the ship in twisted columns. I blinked and shaded my eyes from the sun bouncing off them. They were a virulent shade of orange, shot with black streaks. I stood next to the hole for the count of fifty while I watched the area I could see. By keeping my eyes relaxed, I scanned the landscape, observing for movement without moving my head.
Nothing.
“Let me check it out.”
I stepped outside the hole, sliding sideways to put my back against the ship. I held my weapon at the ready as I scanned the landscape again, moving my head smoothly from side to side. Shit, it was hotter than fuck. I looked up. The sun was huge in the sky.
There were black specks moving slowly in the sky from the east. I watched them, wondering if they were small and far away or huge and really fucking far away. Hopefully they weren’t aggressive animals or sentient.
I stepped back into the ship. “You guys wait here.” I went back to the Vlrsessiums’ quarters. There was a long, thin sheet on one of the beds. I figured I could use it for rope if I tore it into strips and tied it together. A cupboard, ripped off, caught my eye in the corridor.
I made quick work of finishing tying the sheet together, then found the handle of the cupboard and tied the makeshift rope to it. It was a shallow box, but when I turned it on its side, I was able to load more supplies. I found every bit of fluid we could take with us in the messy galley area and packed that in a blanket, which I folded back over the top. We’d never be able to fit the amount of water in our packs we’d need to stay hydrated in the heat.
Grunting with effort, I dragged it down the corridor. Back in the cockpit, I found Yaseke sitting with the children by the door. He was watching the gap in the fuselage with his weapon at the ready. I had a very smart tziu.
Caution was vital when on a new planet. I stepped out and checked again, scanning the landscape just outside the ship, and then I did a perimeter sweep to make sure nothing was hiding around the other sides. “Okay, come on out.” Maerit held up his arm, and I lifted him over the edge of the hole with one hand. Yaseke lifted Pira over the lip as he stepped out.
“This place looks strange,” Maerit said.
“It’s not nice out here.” Pira’s little lip stuck out. “I don’t like it so hot. I want Mama. She gives me jacuta juice when I’m hot.”
Damn. Maybe if we started moving, they’d have something to keep them busy. I led the way, followed by Maerit, then Pira, and then Yaseke.
“Sorry, sweetie, we don’t have any jacuta juice. My father used to give me that too. I know it isn’t nice here, but give Dade a chance to find somewhere for us, okay? We need to walk a little while first.”
At least the ground was tolerable. I’d lost most of my calluses during my years in the ship, and the little ones’ feet were probably tender. Fortunately we stood on a fine dust, not sand or stone, that puffed up around our bare feet and soon turned them rusty orange.
The first landmark I’d picked out was a rock that had a giant hole in the middle. We took a break in its shadow after we reached it. I didn’t let anyone sit down, but we carefully sipped some water. I hadn’t seen anything like a water source, so we had to be extremely cautious in the management of our resources.
“How are you doing, my soldiers? Bearing up?” Both of them turned little faces with wide amber eyes so much like Yaseke’s up to me and nodded. “Good to hear! I’m proud of you guys. Now, we’re just going to march a little bit longer, over to that rock with the round knob on top. Think you can do that? We can have a snack when we get there.”
They nodded eagerly.
Yaseke began humming a quiet song as we walked toward the next tower of rock I’d decided on for our landmark. The air shimmered around us, dancing with heat waves, obscuring the outlines of the rocks. The one I’d chosen had a dark smudge at its base. I was hoping it was a cave.
An uninhabited cave.
I found the total lack of fauna, other than the dark specks across the sky, disturbing. I’d never been on a planet so devoid of life. It didn’t bode well for our chances of survival. Disappointment struck when we finally reached the rock. We’d plodded along to the rhythm of Yaseke’s tune, which I think helped, but there was nothing there but one of the strange black streaks in a wide band around the tower of rock.
Yaseke reached for it with one hand. I couldn’t stop him in time. “Huh.” He frowned as he prodded it. “It’s spongy.”
I smacked his arm down. “You shouldn’t touch things. We don’t know what that is.”
“We’re going to have to touch some things,” he said.
“Yes, but just… let me do it?” My protective instincts were on high alert. If anyone was going to take risks, it was going to be me.
I grabbed a ration bar out of my bag and broke it in two pieces. Pira’s little stomach was rumbling. They’d been in the hands of the Vlrsessiums for a while, but I had no idea how long. By the way they scarfed down the tasteless mess, it had been some time since they’d last been fed.
“Poor things,” Yaseke said. I offered him another half of a bar. He took a bite and grimaced. “Maybe I’ll save this for later.”
“Eat it. You never know when you’ll have the chance to eat again, and we have to keep our energy up.” We sat in the shadow of the rock, hiding from the searing sun. Carefully holding the opened bottle of water, I gave each of the kids several swallows. I took a small mouthful, just enough to wet my parched tissues, and let it trickle down my throat. Yaseke took a slightly bigger drink.
We rested. Both of the kids hunched over onto their sides, resting their heads on their bags. Yaseke soon joined them. I stayed sitting up, scanning the landscape and keeping watch.
The shadows had shifted by a full arm’s length when I woke everyone up. “Come on, guys, we need to get moving again.”
The crashed ship was out of sight behind a hill, but I could still see scars from our landing across the landscape into the distance. As t
he afternoon had worn on the heat had built, but it was beginning to fade. The sun was barely above the distant horizon.
There were two rocks side by side in the distance. I was hoping they would offer us some sort of shelter, if we could only reach them before night fell fully. The children’s tolerance for our hike didn’t last long. Pira began whimpering.
“My feet hurt.”
We were about halfway to the rocks.
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Yaseke said. “It won’t be much longer.”
I was dragging the cabinet full of supplies, so I couldn’t carry Maerit. Thankfully he struggled on. Pira ended up in Yaseke’s arms where she promptly fell asleep.
Our luck held again, and the two rocks grew together in a small overhang. Even better, there was a small shelf of rock under it. Deep shadows pooled there, but it was just a shallow depression, barely large enough for all of us.
But we were off the ground and had a wall at our backs and overhead. It was damn near ideal, considering we could have been stuck in the open. I couldn’t ask for more. At least something was going our way. I spread some blankets on the rock at the back, and Yaseke put Pira down on them, shaking his arms as soon as he stood.
Maerit dropped his bag. His poor little face was pale, and he had dark smudges under his shining eyes. He had to be absolutely exhausted, but he’d managed to walk the whole way.
“Lay down,” I said quietly. “Sleep.”
He yawned. “Thank you,” he whispered as he curled around Pira. Yaseke put another blanket over them.
“What do you see?” I was standing in front of our small shelter, looking out. I turned at Yaseke’s question, pulling him to me.
“Three moons.”
They’d risen behind us as we walked. They lit up the landscape, not as well as the sun, but well enough. What I noticed was the black areas on the rocks were moving. It was as if they sprouted long, while tendrils, which waved in the air.
“What do you think they are?”
“I don’t know. Plants? Animals? Let’s just stay away from them.”
Yaseke hugged me from the side, resting his head on my shoulder. “I’m so sore and tired.”
“Then you should go snuggle with the kids. Combine your warmth.” The sun’s fading light had also relieved the burning heat. This seemed to be a standard desert world with scorching-hot days and freezing-cold nights. “I’ll keep watch.”
Yaseke objected. “You need to rest too.”
“We’ll split it. You sleep first.” I could tell Yaseke was exhausted, almost as much as the kids. I’d been on forced marches with little to no sleep for days before. I’d be fine on a few snatched hours.
“You’ll wake me.”
I nodded.
“Promise?” He raised an eyebrow. “I know how strong you are, but you need to take care of yourself if you hope to take care of us.”
I laid one hand on Yaseke’s cheek, rubbing the soft skin with my thumb. “I know. I promise I will get you up when I can’t stay awake.”
Yaseke grumbled as he lay down beside Pira and pulled his blanket over his shoulder. He pillowed his head on his arm, putting the other one over the kids protectively.
The metal pistol in my hands was reassuring as I recited poetry in my head to keep myself from drifting off. I’d quite a few epics memorized from my cadet days and plenty of experience using them to keep from losing my edge while I stood watch.
I looked up at the sky from time to time, keeping an eye out for those flying critters. The stars twinkled up there, indifferent to our plight. We could only hope our distress beacon made it into the right hands and Seral would be able to find us. Luck didn’t always favor me, but so far, things hadn’t been so bad. I could handle a lot, but for the sake of my tziu and the two small kids depending on me, I hoped rescue came soon.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
We’d been stuck on the planet, alone, for two days. I found one small, brackish pool of water in all that time, hardly more than a puddle, so we kept moving in hopes of finding more. I kept the marches short so Pira and Maerit could keep up. The heat sapped all of us, and the never-ending dust sucked at our footsteps, slowing us further. Every time the sun rose after the too short nights, the place turned into an oven.
After seeing no predators, other than the giant birds, I decided we all needed a break after I refilled our water bottles at a second puddle. I strained the water through one of the blankets—though they probably weren’t much cleaner—in hopes of avoiding any parasites that would cause illness. The bland ration bars I’d taken from the Vlrsessium ship kept us from being hungry, though I ate as sparingly as possible.
I watched the skies often in hopes of seeing a ship, but so far rescue hadn’t come for us.
Would they ever?
“Let’s find somewhere to hole up the rest of the day,” I said to Yaseke. He was filthy—we all were—and he looked tired. His skin was pale where it was covered, but the parts exposed by our makeshift wraps were burned by the sun, and the blue markings along his face were faded. The slump in his shoulders exposed just how exhausted he was, and both of the children sat next to him, leaning against each other but not speaking. I think Maerit was even dozing. “I’ve seen nothing living other than the birds and the funky tendril moss on the rocks at night. I’m thinking it’d be easier on everyone if we traveled by moonlight, rather than during the day.” The three moons gave more than enough silvery light to travel by safely.
“It’d be cooler at least.” Yaseke shifted farther into the shrinking shade. “Easier for the younglings.”
Pira looked up at me pitifully, her amber eyes dull. I crouched down next to her and stroked her hair. “You should take a nap.” She looked over at Yaseke, who nodded. Pira snuggled up to her brother, whose eyes were already closed, and her breathing soon evened out as she dozed off. At least she wouldn’t be hungry or thirsty in her dreams. Hopefully. Both kids had nightmares—of what, they didn’t want to tell us. I could imagine. They’d seen their mother killed, been taken captive by slavers, crashed on a deserted planet with two strangers… I was amazed at their resilience in the face of everything.
Their courage deserved a reward. I couldn’t fail them. One way or another, we had to find a way back to Caeorleia.
I stood up and scanned the area. Orange dust and more orange dust, with rocks scattered here and there. There was a dark smudge on the horizon. It was barely visible through the heat waves. Yaseke hadn’t mentioned it yet, so I figured he hadn’t seen it. Telling him would only stress him out, so I didn’t. What would we find there? More rocks? It had to be megalithic, for me to be able to see it that far off, not like the pillars and small outcroppings we kept finding.
My tziu curled on his side facing the children, his head pillowed on one thin arm. I was tired, but sleeping was not an option for me. I had to stay alert. Just because we hadn’t come across anyone or anything yet, didn’t mean we wouldn’t. I wouldn’t be caught unaware again. There were three people depending on me, and I wasn’t going to let them down.
Traveling at night without the sun beating down on us was easier. I didn’t feel like I was baking—there was even a chill in the air. We wrapped the blankets around the children and then slung their slowly lightening bags over their shoulders to help hold the blankets in place. Yaseke used the other blanket we had. I didn’t need it as much. I’d been used to colder temperatures on the ship. The moons slowly rose until all three were high in the sky, casting a bright white light across the ground. The shadows were deeper, and I steered clear of the rocks with the tendrils waving in the air, but we made better time than during our daytime travels. I should’ve done this sooner.
I allowed three breaks during the night. Each time we sipped at our water, trying to make it last. Using a trick I’d learned as a soldier, we each sucked on a pebble as we walked to create more saliva; it helped. I had a few bottles of water unopened in the drawer I was carrying, but I was trying to save those. I didn’t smell
any water at all, and we didn’t see any pools as we walked.
“Where are we going?” Maerit asked.
“Farther away from the crash.” A small windstorm had picked up on our second day of walking, forcing us to huddle together under the blankets, but it had the effect of wiping out our footsteps from the ship. I wasn’t sure if the Vlrsessiums had the technology to scan for our body signatures from space, but I wasn’t taking any chances. And who knew what lived here? A creature, intelligent or not, could be drawn to the crash site by the noise. I didn’t mention that worry, though.
“We’re staying safe until help comes for us,” Yaseke said firmly. “Seral will find us. Until then, Dade will keep us together and safe. He used to be a soldier, you know.”
“As a human?” Pira’s soft voice drifted back to me on the small breeze.
I stiffened, but none of the hatred I’d heard from other Caeorleians using that word colored her hum. “Yes.”
“Did you kill people?” Maerit turned around and looked at me, walking backward for a few steps. “Like us?”
Images of the many types of aliens I’d killed flashed through my mind. Some I’d have called people, some were more like animals. But I’d never killed Caeorleians. “No,” I answered honestly. “I’ve never killed anyone like you. I didn’t come to Caeorleia as a soldier.”
“How come you look like us if you used to be human?” Yaseke had tried to explain it to them the first night, before we started moving again, but kids were too damn nosy.
Muscles along my shoulders and neck tensed. My breathing shortened, and I had to bite back a growl as I froze in my tracks. Maybe traveling by night was a bad idea. The children had more energy than before, even while walking, and had started asking more questions. Maybe it was the vitality of youth, along with their ability to bounce back and recover from trauma. That wasn’t a question I could answer, though.
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