After several more calls to both Arac and Arsino with no response, he hauled himself to his feet. Perhaps the communicator was damaged. He picked up several loose stones and tossed them high, a number of them falling outside the cave. Still there was no hint of movement from above. Nevertheless, Arac had no way of getting down to him. If he thought Galen was dead, it was likely he’d left to meet up with Arsino alone. The sandstorm outside would have been fatal to anyone exposed for more than a few minutes. The two men, now likely locked inside the bore scanner, would have to wait it out.
So, too, it seemed, would Galen.
There was no way to climb out from where he’d fallen through. The opening became much wider just beyond the entrance, the walls sloping in like a great upturned bowl with Galen trapped under it. His light would not reach all the dark corners of the cave, so he decided to find the nearest wall, mark it, and then follow it around to see if he would arrive back where he started.
Down the smooth walls he went, finding nothing that could help him in his current plight. As he continued on, his boot caught something, and he toppled over back into the soft sand. As he rolled back on his stomach, Galen’s shoulder light illuminated a dead face whose empty eyes stared back into his own. Startled, he pulled back, kicking until his back was to the wall. Catching his breath, he scanned the body with his light. It was the remains of a harvester, he was sure of it. The outfit was nearly identical to his own, save for a few minor differences.
The face shield, once a smooth bubble, had been perforated, the extent of which continued to the body inside. The hole was not a crack caused by rock damage. It was a perfectly cut circle. Examining the body further, Galen could see that the damage had gone completely through the helmet. Based on the evidence, Galen discerned that the attacker had executed the harvester. There was no other explanation.
And then there was the name of the man, sewn into the right breast of the suit.
“Lindes,” Galen whispered as he read the name.
This was none other than General Vod’s former commander, and the man who led the harvesters when Galen was little more than a new recruit. This was not an ancient body left here from centuries past. This was a murder victim, left here in the darkness of this place to be forgotten. Galen realized that Lindes’ suit was likely what had reflected the light from his flashlight those few hours ago. Determined to not let this deed of treachery go unpunished, Galen carefully removed the embroidered patch.
Intent on placing the item in his pocket, he had to remove the tetralyte scanner to do so. Momentarily switching the device on, Riath was astonished at the quickness in which a reading was reported. It was coming from all around him. No matter which direction he swung the device, there was a solid spike in the readings. There was enough of the ore here to power Artemis for a dozen lifetimes. Never having seen so much ore in his life, he found himself delirious with delight.
However, the joy faded as quickly as it had manifested. He still had yet to find a way out of his cavernous prison, let alone get this news back to Arsino and Arac. Placing both the scanner and Lindes’ patch in his pocket, Galen resumed his scan of the walls. Within minutes, he’d found a small chamber carved into the wall. Exploring farther, he noted that it appeared to be a long tunnel. He could not see where it led, only that it had a gentle rise to it the farther along it went. Lifting a stone from the ground, he struck it against the wall in an attempt to mark his current location. The striking caused a spark of brilliance that briefly lit the entire compartment. He looked at the material in his hand where it had impacted the wall. Both the wall and the stone were pure tetralyte, their black glass-like surfaces reflecting the light back at him. Placing several more stones in his pocket, Galen continued down the long, carved corridor.
It was nearly an hour before he spotted another opening that had a more pronounced incline. Climbing up the jagged surface, Galen found himself in another long corridor extending into two directions. He shone the light on the walls, and was rewarded in minutes with a series of scratches in the surface . . . ones he himself had made earlier with Arac. He’d somehow looped around to come back into the original corridor the two had found. Jubilant, Galen raced back in the direction of Arsino and the bore scanner.
Within minutes he’d located the rope dangling down from the ceiling. Giving it a series of tugs to test its secureness, he quickly climbed with every ounce of strength left in his taxed muscles. Nearing the opening, he reached out and grasped it, then hauled himself out into the blistering sun. The sandstorm Arsino had mentioned must have blown past. Thankful for small miracles, Galen rose to his feet to start toward the bore scanner.
It was gone.
In its place, a silvery object glinted from beneath a pile of rust-orange sand. Rushing down to it, Galen quickly uncovered the object.
The “object” was a harvester. It was Arsino. He was dead, a single strike having perforated his helmet in nearly the same place as Colonel Lindes.
Chapter 6
Without the mobility afforded by the bore scanner, Galen knew the journey back to Artemis would be a long and dangerous one. Sand snakes, those vicious little creatures that sprang out of nowhere, would be the least of his worries. There were much larger creatures on this planet, ones that could easily make a quick meal out of a lone nomad wandering the wastelands.
His suit would provide filtration from light sandstorms, but in heavier ones he’d need to seek shelter or risk being blown to pieces. Once he left the shelter of the mountains, there was precious little of that to go around. Still, he had to get the information of the tetralyte deposit he’d discovered back to the city. The sheer size of the find would power Artemis for several lifetimes . . . perhaps enough even to get the Survivor back out into space.
And he had to avenge the death of Arsino.
He would make it back to the citadel. Galen silently vowed this to himself as locked his eyes to the south and began to walk in measured steps.
Taci Galen, wife of the harvester colonel, strode confidently into the council chambers. Peering down from above into the hollowed chamber, she saw Arac standing alone as he was questioned by Councilman Thym.
“And where are the rest of the harvesters? What of Riath Galen and Arsino?”
“They fell, Councilman,” Arac replied evenly.
Thym seemed unconvinced. “Fell?”
“Down a shaft, Councilman. It opened suddenly beneath them as we were exploring a cave.”
“And you didn’t attempt to extricate them?”
“I called to them several times. There was no response. Their life readings were null.”
Taci’s eyes began to water as she heard the news of her husband and his old friend.
Thym narrowed his eyes at Arac, then turned to face Vod. “General, we must organize a rescue operation at once.”
“Out of the question,” Councilman Speros shouted across the chamber. “We cannot spare any more tetralyte for the use of the bore scanner.”
“Then we will journey on foot,” Thym replied sharply.
Now it was General Vod’s turn to reply. “The location is nearly eight full cycles from here, Councilman. We haven’t the provisions to equip that kind of a party.”
“We cannot abandon our people!” Taci called out, and the council chambers fell silent as all eyes turned up to her.
“They knew the risks,” Speros replied, then sighed. “The loss of your husband, and that of Arsino, will be greatly felt in Artemis. We will all take the time to mourn.”
“Riath is only lost, Councilman Speros. Not dead. There will be no mourning until I have seen his body. The same goes for Arsino.”
“Do nothing foolish, Taci,” Vod said coldly as he turned his head up to her. “The wastelands to the north will consume you in less than a cycle. I do not wish for more needless death.”
“My husband knew full well that each of us faces a slow, needless death here in Artemis, General. As do our children. Are we to sit idly by and
watch as they perish, too?”
“That is enough.”
“Or perhaps we shall be the fortunate ones, and we shall perish before them. We will not live to see our children die, but die they will!”
“I said that is enough! Be silent on this matter!”
“General Vod,” Thym replied calmly. “She has a right to speak her mind.”
“Does she have the right to incite insurrection?” This received a round of grumbling from the assembly.
When the whispering had stopped, Thym once again addressed the assembly. “We will sit on this through the night and discuss it further tomorrow. That is the rule of the council.”
Vod looked to Councilman Speros for a moment, and the entire assembly separated. Outside the council chambers, Taci was lost in thought when a gentle hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked up to see Councilman Thym beside her.
“Do not fear, my child. Riath is as strong a man as I have ever known. If he lives, he will return.”
“But how?” she asked with tears running down her face. “How can you be so sure?”
“His love for you and your son is strong, my dear. It gives him strength, and purpose. If at all possible, he will return to Artemis.”
She was without words, the emotions of the last hour still demanding she fall into a heap of sadness. But she was the wife of the leader of the harvesters. Surely she had received as much strength from her husband as the councilman was suggesting she had bestowed upon him. Nodding, she straightened. “Thank you, Councilman.”
“Go to your son.”
“What should I tell him?”
“That is for you to decide. However, before you do, seek me out at the break of the morrow.”
“Why?”
Thym wagged his head, smiling softly. “Perhaps a new day will bring new hope and new answers. I will not allow the council to rush to judgement, and I believe you should do the same where your family is concerned. Hold the boy, just as you do on those nights when Riath is out with the harvesters on the hunt. Let this night be no different.”
“That is much to ask.”
“Faith, my dear, is one of the hardest things we must have at times—faith in the impossible, faith in the unbelievable. Faith, above all else, has kept Artemis alive far longer than logic would have allowed. I’ve come to trust in its power. I know you understand.”
She nodded, wiping away the last of her tears. “Yes, Councilman.”
He reached out, and she welcomed the older man’s kind embrace.
“Go now, my child. Rest.”
As the twin suns set over the distant horizon, Riath Galen set up his campsite at the base of a long-dead tree. Long ago it had given up the last of its leaves and fruits, and now stood, a petrified reminder of the beauty of this world that once was. On a long branch he hung a small light, sufficient to ward off most of the dangerous creatures that might seek him out in the dark. Hopefully its power cell would last till the suns rose again, hours from now. Checking that his weapon was ready, he held it over his chest as he allowed the time of rest to overtake his body.
Chapter 7
Cresting a small rise, Galen looked out at the expanse of the vast plain before him. The desert stretched as far as the eye could see. His body ached for water. If he didn’t find some quickly, he knew there would be no hope of making it back to Artemis.
But water was a rare commodity in the wastelands. His only hope lay in a desperate gamble, one that could easily end in his death. It was a chance he would have to take. His only choice now was to look for the dangerous nogiak.
As he continued to scan the area for tracks of the beast, he found himself chuckling at the dilemma. The large, fanged beast was something to be both feared and avoided, and usually was the one to pounce on the unsuspecting harvester in the dark of the night. Now Riath Galen would seek out the monster in its own underground lair, and hopefully slay it while it rested. Only then could he extract the much-needed water stored in the creature’s innards. He checked his weapon, knowing it took only one well-placed shot to the nogiak’s heart to slay it. If the beast awoke and a struggle ensued, it would take several more, and Riath had only three rounds in his sidearm.
Holstering the weapon, he caught sight of something carved into a distant dune. They were the tracks of an animal, and very likely the one he sought. The creature’s lair was not far off. Knowing that the sound of his footfalls could easily stir the nogiak, he made his way cautiously to the dune. Once there, he saw that the tracks disappeared into the rock-lined mouth of a small cave. It was just tall enough for him to crouch and step into. Withdrawing his weapon slowly, knowing that any sound now would echo throughout the cave and wake the beast, he switched his light beam on and proceeded in cautiously.
The narrow opening extended down for about a hundred paces. Just when Riath was beginning to feel that he would hit a dead end, the tunnel opened into a wide chamber. Riath found that not only could he could fully stand, but that the interior of the cave was well lit from within. High above him were pillars of rock, spaced randomly, encrusted with a luminous material that gave the cavern a diffused glow. Switching off his beam, he continued to follow the animal tracks deeper into the cave.
Along the uneven floor were yet more pillars, but whatever material caused the upper ones to glow was absent from these. There were sprouts of crystalline materials jutting at odd angles, both from the floor and the walls. Though they intrigued Riath, he bypassed them as he continued on. Coming to another small opening, he had to kneel down to make his way in. Thankfully it opened to yet another large chamber. The light-inducing material was still present, although the colors had shifted to a different spectrum.
And it was intensely quiet. The only sound was that of Riath’s boots sinking into the shallow sand beneath him. He proceeded several more paces before stopping suddenly, convinced he’d heard something move nearby. Deciding the light in the cave was insufficient for hunting the nogiak, he switched on his beam with a click. Without moving forward, he slowly panned the beam around the cave. The walls surrounding him were only a short distance away. To his left, he watched as the wall extended farther away into the distance. As he pivoted toward that direction, his beam fell squarely on a terrifying monster an arm’s reach away. He nearly screamed in horror before he realized the creature easily twice his size was asleep.
The nogiak.
The beast was curled up, with only two of its four talon-tipped claws visible. The long head, its mouth lined with needle-sharp teeth and flanked by deadly pincers, was on the floor. As the nogiak exhaled, small plumes of cave dust blossomed from the floor. Riath cautiously scanned the creature with his light, seeing the many vessels and arteries flowing with fluid just beneath the translucent skin. Blind from birth, the nogiak had no eyes, using a combination of echolocation and infrared sensitive receptors which allowed it to see heat radiated by its pray. Those whip-like receptors on either side of the beast’s head were twitching as the creature slept.
But Riath was too close to it. If he missed, the enraged beast could easily lash out and dismember him in an instant. Slowly, he stepped back toward the narrow opening he’d entered through, never allowing his light to fall away from the creature. When he felt he was in the best possible position, he slowly raised his weapon, pointing it at the nogiak’s head. He took steady aim, held his breath, and began to apply gentle pressure to the trigger.
At once the creature awoke with a terrifying scream, startling Riath and causing his shot to go wide. The beam of energy hit the side of the nogiak’s face, severing one of the receptor pits. Instinctively the creature leapt toward the direction of its attacker, but it was at a disadvantage. Its sight was now halved, and Riath was already well inside the protection of the narrow opening. The beast had miscalculated, and pounced on a tall growth from the cave floor. The nogiak thrashed about wildly, its fanned tail whipping about and knocking over yet more rocky growths.
Riath leveled his weapon, follo
wing the creature’s erratic movements until he was confident he had another clean shot. Firing again, he hit the beast near the animal’s heart. It was a wound the creature would surely die from, but not a killing blow. The nogiak’s remaining receptor accurately detected where the beam had originated from and it jumped toward Riath. Riath fired, depleting his weapon as the creature ran toward him. The nogiak raised a claw and swung down, catching Riath in the leg before the beast fell, dead.
The was no pain at the point where the tip of the talon had perforated his suit. But there was blood. Both were bad signs. It meant that the nogiak’s poison had entered the colonel’s body. Without immediate help, Riath would be dead within a cycle. Quickly tying off the wound with a scrap of his tunic, Riath turned the body of the nogiak over. Withdrawing a knife from his belt, he slit open the belly of the beast and withdrew a large sack of fluid. The liquid, used by the creature as a reserve source of water, tasted foul, but it would give the colonel the hydration he desperately needed. Taking in as much as he could stomach, Riath made his way back out of the cave.
He looked back to the distant horizon, knowing that Artemis was just beyond it. Mustering his failing strength, he once again began to walk.
He’d completed only four steps before he fell to the sand. His vision began to blur, and he could feel the moisture begin to build up on his face and hands. The nogiak’s poison was working faster than he’d expected. He attempted to move, to get up, but his arms and legs would not respond. He succeeded only in turning himself onto his back, the suns high above now baking him slowly to death. A buzzing sound began to ring in his ears as spots formed before his eyes. The buzzing increased to a boom that filled him, as an oblong blotch became larger and larger and plunged his vision into darkness. It was all too overwhelming for Riath’s senses.
Mustering with all his remaining strength a final scream of helplessness, Riath Galen slipped into oblivion.
Beta Sector- Anthology Page 14
