by Leslie Chase
Cursing, hands slick with sweat, I reversed and tried again. Full speed, full force, the rover slammed into the ice.
Another godawful crunch and warning lights started to flash. The windshield cracked, water leaking in, and my heart raced with fear. If the freezing water flooded the cabin, I doubted I’d make it out of the river, let alone get the cargo to shore.
Stupid, stupid plan. Should be with Dhannar, snuggling in front of a fire and forgetting all of this. Why did we have to care?
But the ice had cracked too, splintering where the rover struck it. Racing against the water pressure, I reversed for one last try.
This time, the ice gave way. The rover surged forward into the frigid night air, crashing up onto the riverbank, and it took me a moment to get it back under control. With a shout of triumph, I skidded to a stop and caught my breath. I’d made it.
But when I saw where I’d emerged, my joy melted like ice in summer. I’d come out about a few hundred yards from where I’d planned, which wasn’t bad, considering. But the ground between me and the colony was rocky and rough — without lights, I’d have to pick my way across it. Which gave the scroogians far too long to see me coming.
I swallowed my doubts. Nicholasville was right there. I’d made it, gotten Dhannar’s cargo where it belonged. One last dash and I’d be done. I had to trust that Dhannar had drawn the scroogians away. Which left just one question: would he keep their attention long enough for me to make the delivery?
I looked towards the spaceport, but between the cracked windshield and the dark night I couldn’t tell if the warship still floated above it. If Dhannar hadn’t distracted it my mission would end messily and quickly.
“Guess I’ll find out,” I muttered as I popped the seals to let in fresh air. Turning the rover toward town, I pushed on the throttle and got back under way.
12
Dhannar
Watching the rover vanish under the ice was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. Every instinct screamed at me to leap in after Megan, to tear that cursed machine open and pull her to the surface.
But that wasn’t the plan.
“I hate the plan,” I said for any nearby wildlife to hear. “This is a stupid plan.”
It was all we had, though, and if I didn’t do my part then Megan would risk her life for nothing. I hefted my borrowed pack, determined to do everything possible for my mate.
Shifting, I turned away from the river and bounded off into the forest. It was awkward to carry the pack this way — reilendeer technology in my clothes shifted them with me. Human and scroogian gear lacked that feature, though.
This close to the human colony, alien trees mixed with Earth plants. Over time, the terraforming program would find an equilibrium between the two ecosystems. I didn’t like the damage I was about to do to that work, but there was no other way.
In reindeer form it didn’t take long to reach the top of a hill high enough to look down on the colony. Nicholasville stood out against the snowy background, a bright and hopeful town spread beside the river. The setting sun made it a picture of beauty fit for a painting. Or would have, if not for the scroogian warship hovering over it like a scavenger bird.
Time to get rid of it.
Shifting back, I unslung my pack and pulled out the stolen blaster and a clock. Hours remained before I was to act, though Megan would be well on her way by now. It took an effort of will not to think about all the things that might already have gone wrong. She would reach her destination. No other possibility was worth considering.
I waited in the cover of the forest, watching the sun vanish beneath the horizon. Stars glittered overhead, so different from the constellations I’d grown used to on Earth. What I wouldn’t give to have Megan by my side, looking up at those distant points of light and naming them.
Time crawled past until finally the moment arrived. Our plan gave Megan twice as much time as she ought to need, and if she wasn’t in position by now—
No. I will not think that. She is in place, and it’s time for me to do my part.
I pointed the blaster at a pine tree and fired.
The blast splintered the trunk, superheating the wood and resin. In seconds, an inferno consumed the tree, fire shooting into the sky and sparks flying everywhere. That should have been unmissable but the scroogians were incompetent enough that I didn’t want to take any chances. I shot another two trees to make certain they’d spot me.
Sure that I had their attention, I threw a handful of Christmas cheer into the flames. Golden sparkles crackled in the flames, lending a surreal beauty to the burning night.
It hurt to see my precious cargo go up in smoke like that, but the warship’s sensors would spot it instantly. And this was what the scroogians wanted, more than anything else.
As much as it would hurt them if the humans got hold of it today, tomorrow the reverse would be true. Once Christmas was past it would turn to ashes and regrets, and feeding that to the humans would make them ten times as delicious to the scroogians. Their Christmas feast depended on stealing it, and they wouldn’t want it destroyed.
Sure enough, the warship lifted from its position over the human settlement, turning toward me and accelerating. I grinned, shifting and racing away from the burning trees.
The ship moved faster than I could, of course, but the trees provided cover and my heat signature was that of a reindeer. Other wildlife scattered from the inferno I’d created, letting me blend in with the general exodus.
It wouldn’t last long. The scroogians would track me by the blaster’s charge, or perhaps even be able to detect the remnants of the cheer I carried. But the point wasn’t to get away. The point was to keep them chasing me while Megan got through to the colony. If she managed that, we had our victory.
The warship’s speakers blared threats that I paid no attention to, and the turrets turned this way and that, gunners searching the woods for me. To give them something to find, a reason to keep their attention on me, I shifted again. Rolling to my feet, drawing the blaster, I fired up at the ship and shifted back before they had a chance to spot me.
The blaster bolt barely scratched the hull, searing gray paint and bursting a string of fairy lights. That was all the damage I could hope for with a handgun against a military vessel, but it was enough to get their attention.
Turret after turret snapped around to search the spot where I’d fired. They’d see me soon enough now, and then… well, beyond that point the plan was fuzzy.
A plasma bolt incinerated the tree behind me, the explosive force of the shot knocking me flying. Another bolt struck ahead of me, superheating the air and forcing the breath from my lungs. I scrambled to my feet, snatched up my pack and ran while they rained fire on the forest. Then, as quickly as it started, the barrage died.
I grinned, imagining the scene aboard. The scroogian commander yelling at his officers to cease fire lest they destroy the precious treasure they were hunting for.
Through the forest I saw the shimmering light show of a teleport. Scroogians coming in person to search for my cargo. Flames burned all around us, smoke billowed through the trees. Finding anything would be hard in this environment.
The important thing now was to keep them busy, too busy to turn their eyes back to Nicholasville. As long as I kept their attention away from Megan, the rest didn’t matter.
I shifted back into my human form, rolling through the melting snow and raising my blaster to fire toward the nearest scroogians. No chance of hitting, not through the smoke, but attention-grabbing. This wasn’t a fight I’d win.
The scroogians on the ground would close in fast, and the ship overhead gave them a firepower advantage I had no way to answer. Once they knew where I was, my death would come quickly.
This was the bit I hadn’t told Megan about, and as much as I hated being dishonest, it was the only way. If she’d known how little chance of survival I had, she’d never have gone through with the plan — this way, at least she’d
live. And I would fulfil my oath.
My life was a fair trade for either of those victories. Both together? I’d call it a triumph.
I just wish we’d had more time together, I thought as I blasted away at the warship. One night was not enough. A lifetime wouldn’t be enough.
My shots glanced off harmlessly, and another roaring crack of plasma turned the tree I ducked behind into a pillar of flame. I staggered back, trying to breathe, to see through the smoke.
They can’t be that bad at shooting, I realized. If they wanted me dead, they’d have hit me by now.
I grinned, sucking down too-hot air. That meant they wanted me alive to interrogate. I had no intention of letting them take me prisoner, but it did make things easier for me.
The longer I kept them busy the better, and now I didn’t have to worry about the warship obliterating me from the skies. I could afford more risks.
Jumping up, I ran towards the teleporter lights, ducking left and right to keep me from being an easy target. Hitting the ground force should keep their minds on me and punching someone would be satisfying.
A scroogian poked his head around a tree ahead of me. Wary, but not wary enough — I barreled into him, sent him flying, put a blaster shot into his chest before he could recover. The charge meter flashed empty as another appeared to my right, so I threw the pistol at his head. He went down with a crunch, clutching at a broken nose.
Another followed him, blazing away with his agonizer. A beam caught me as I dove out of the way, burning pain filling my limbs. The ground struck me hard before I recovered.
And above me, the shadow of the warship lifted. I snarled. Had enough time passed for Megan to get the job done? A sinking feeling told me it hadn’t.
I rolled to the side, grabbing a fallen pistol and bouncing to my feet. The scroogian pursuing me ducked back as I fired at him, giving me space to turn and run for the crest of the hill. Smoke billowed around me, blocking my view of Nicholasville, and I searched for some sign of my mate. None of the chaos I’d hoped for in the town itself, so I looked along the curve of the frozen river. From this distance, with only the moons to provide light, it was hard to see anything…
There! The rover had left the ice, and it raced toward the colony. But it wasn’t there yet.
My heart froze as the warship stopped dead in the sky, a single turret firing. The plasma bolt struck the ground ahead of the rover, a gout of flame barring its path.
Megan brought the rover skidding to a stop. A sitting duck for the scroogian gunners. In vain I prayed that she’d pop the hatch, jump clear. There was no time, and I knew my mate wouldn’t abandon her mission.
I failed you, I thought, frozen in place. I failed everyone.
The ship’s guns fired again, plasma lancing out to strike the rover’s tires. Whoever was at the controls was a masterful shot — it would be all too easy to destroy the rover rather than incapacitate it. But that shot landed perfectly, shredding the wheels on one side. The rover was stuck, unmoving, helpless.
Get out, I willed my mate, wishing I had some way of communicating. You did all you could, no one can ask for more. Now get to safety, get out of there.
I raised my pistol, firing at the turret until the pistol ran dry. A futile attempt to distract the crew from the rover. Anything to buy Megan some more time.
No sign of movement from the rover, and my imagination fed me images of Megan lying injured or dead in the cabin. I stared in horror as the ship flew back toward Nicholasville, ignoring me in favor of my mate. In seconds they were out of range of my pistol.
At last, the rover’s hatch opened. I whispered a prayer, desperate for Megan to get clear of danger. Where she’d go, I had no idea, but I would find her.
The warship passed above the rover, a shimmering column of light shooting down to embrace it. When the lights faded, the rover had vanished, teleported aboard. The scroogians had Santa’s packages now, and I’d failed.
And I found that I didn’t care. All I wanted to know whether Megan had escaped. If she’d gotten clear before the teleporter seized the rover, we’d regroup. If not… I tried not to think about what she’d suffer at the hands of the scroogians.
Behind me, movement in the woods. The landing party hadn’t forgotten about me, and I’d need to deal with them before I looked for her. With a frustrated, angry snarl, I turned back to face my hunters.
13
Megan
Teleporters are complete bullshit, I concluded as the hazy field of lights faded out, leaving me back aboard the warship. The rover was back in the cargo hold I’d taken it from, the damaged hatch still hanging open after my escape.
For a moment I considered jamming on the throttle and trying to drive out. The fall might well kill me, but at least I’d go out defying my captors. But the damage to the wheels had triggered a safety system and immobilized the rover, denying me even that escape.
Three snarling, pig-faced scroogians advanced on the rover, agonizers leveled. One yanked the door open, then stepped back with a hiss of pain. I glanced behind me at the packages, the faint golden glow that clung to them. Maybe I should have covered myself in that stuff or thrown it at them. They really don’t seem to like it.
It was too late for that now. Too late for anything.
“Out,” the scroogian leader barked. I didn’t need to ask what would happen if I didn’t obey. Swallowing, I raised my hands and stepped out of the cabin.
Gwen stood behind them, pale and trembling as she watched me surrender. I tried to give her a reassuring look, but from her expression it hadn’t helped. No surprise there, I told myself. I’m fucked and I know it.
“How nice of you to return with the Commander’s gifts,” one said, towering over me. “A pity you didn’t take better care of it.”
“Yeah, Jackson’s insurance will have a lot to cover,” I said, refusing to be cowed. He slapped me, palm hitting my cheek with stinging force and throwing me back onto the hard metal deck.
“Insolence. I will kill you for—”
“The Commander won’t like it if you damage her.” Gwen’s words came out in a rush, as though she was afraid she’d stop if she let herself think about what she was doing. The scroogian turned to her, looking almost as shocked as he was angry.
Gwen swallowed but didn’t back off. “She’s the Commander’s present, sir. If you hurt her before he even sees her…”
The scroogian snarled something, but he holstered his agonizer and stalked off without another word. Gwen hurried over to my side as I gingerly touching my cheek. No blood, but I felt a nasty bruise forming.
“Thank you,” I whispered, hoping that the scroogians weren’t paying attention. They stayed focused on the rover, hooting in triumph at the sight of the cargo.
“It’s only putting things off,” Gwen replied, helping me to my feet. “The Commander is just as furious with you as the rest of them, and when he gets his hands on you it won’t be pretty.”
I glanced at the scroogians, but they were busy pawing through the rover’s cargo space and congratulating each other. No one was listening to us.
“Then I’ve got to get out of here before he gets back,” I told Gwen. Her face paled, eyes wide, and she shook her head. A warning glance at the scroogians reminded me how good their hearing was.
“They won’t give you another chance to escape,” she whispered back, keeping her eyes on our captors. “Not after last time. Anyway, there’s no way off the ship unless they land.”
Discipline wasn’t the scroogians’ strong point, but Gwen wasn’t wrong. The rover wasn’t going anywhere, the fliers would only work for a scroogian, and this time they weren’t going to just leave me alone. The only way out would be to leap from the damaged cargo ramp and fall to my death.
I hated how tempting that was. At least death would deny the scroogians a chance to feed on my pain. I bit my lip, trying to think past the waves of fear that threatened to overwhelm me.
Just as on our first meet
ing, Gwen had a bundle of clothes for me. More ‘wrapping paper’ but at least it was fresh. I needed a change of clothes though I didn’t look forward to changing in front of the scroogians.
Gwen looked me over, then nodded her head and offered me a small smile.
“We’ll have to get you cleaned up,” she said raising her voice so that the scroogians would hear. “You can’t see the Commander in this state. You need a shower before you dress.”
The scroogian leader looked up, frowning. For a moment I thought he would insist on following us, and the idea of showering in front of him made me shudder. But then he looked back at his companions standing around the rover. I could almost feel the suspicion radiating from him. None of the scroogians trusted each other, and that worked to my advantage.
“Don’t take your eyes off the bitch,” he snarled to Gwen. “If she tries anything, you’ll pay for it.”
I winced. The last thing I wanted to do was get Gwen into trouble, and from the look in his piggy eyes that was what he was counting on. Gwen swallowed but nodded quickly and took my wrist, leading me out of the hold.
“This’ll buy us a few minutes privacy,” she said as soon as the door shut behind us. “What the hell are you doing back here? I thought at least one of us had gotten away.”
I bit down a bitter laugh. “No such luck, but it’ll take too long to explain.”
“Sure. I can’t imagine there’s a short explanation for why you stole a car and drove away, then dunked it in the river and came back.” Gwen sighed and shook her head. “Not that I can think of a long one, either.”
Even considering telling her the story was painful. My heart ached at the thought that I’d never see Dhannar again, that I’d never feel his touch. None of the punishments the scroogians had in store for me would hurt as much as being separated from him.
At least he was free. I had to believe that. Dhannar would fight his way clear of the scroogians and escape. He’d live a long life, find happiness.
