by Zara Zenia
Eventually she startled awake, half certain she'd heard something. Maybe it was just the normal sound of the wind outside. It picked up from time to time and make a keening noise against the outer hull of the ship. She felt very shaken, but there was something warm in her heart.
Treasure wasn't mad at Oszul anymore. She knew that what he did was probably just to protect her. He wasn't trying to make her feel small or less in charge of her own destiny. His primary concern was to keep her safe. How could she be mad at that?
Suiting up again, Treasure stashed a blaster gun within her suit. She didn't want to have to use it, but it was easy enough to reach for if she had to. Next, she headed for the ice shuttle. Her Qetesh training started to kick in as she drove the vehicle along the path. The heat signature radar pinged silently, showing up patches that were warmer than others.
She carefully drove along and watched for any sign of a hot spot. That would be a person, if there was anyone out there. "Good thing I'm wearing this," she said. Patting the ice-suit, she remembered how the Hjott's suits were designed to hide heat signatures. That was important for a place like this. And that kind of technology wasn't easily available outside of rich military organizations like the Jatrans had. There was a slim chance the escaped prisoners would have anything more than the most basic of ice-suits.
She came to the end of the path and headed out on foot. Pulling down the goggles and face mask, she decided to let her instincts help her this time. Her training was all for this moment. It was the first true test of her own individual skills, and she was becoming excited about the challenge.
"I'm coming for you, Oszul," she said. He'd done what was required to try to protect her. If he'd gotten himself into trouble and been kidnapped, she was going to save him or die trying. It was the least she could do for the man who wanted to be with her. She now knew that she wanted to be with him.
Chapter 13
Oszul
As they moved him along, the two criminals talked to each other. They were careful not to use each other's names at first. However, that didn't last long. One of them slipped up eventually.
"Draked, make sure he's properly bound. These Hjott scumbags can be very tricky. He might have tried to get out of his rope."
"You idiot," replied Draked. He was the Terud. "Why did you use my name?"
"What? It's not like he's ever going to tell anyone. Look, I'll say my name too. I don't care. Hey, my name's V'Kry. See, it doesn't matter. Don't be such a worrier." V'Kry was the Aulius, and he was the one driving their ice-shuttle.
Oszul had to chuckle quietly to himself from his seat in the back. His hands were indeed still bound. He raise them to show that he wasn't trying to escape. Diplomacy might be the best way to win over these two goons. "I'm in command on this mission. And I must tell you that I've already called for backup from the Jatra military. If you want to have a peaceful ending to this, you need to let me go."
"Keep talking, you hot bag of air," said V'Kry. He was obviously going to be more difficult to reason with than his associate, who already seemed somewhat worried by Oszul's words.
"And you'll need to let my men go too. If any harm comes to them—"
"Shut your mouth or we'll have to put a gag on you," said V'Kry.
"You know what," added Draked. "I don't think I believe that you've called for backup. Why were you alone on that ship?"
Oszul didn't want to say anything that might lead them to believe there was someone else on the ship. He just stayed quiet for the rest of the trip. They weren't eager to keep talking to him anyway, so they didn't press him to answer. They eventually came up to a location Oszul's men had been unaware of. And there it was, the Rigel.
Oszul was taken onboard and placed in the cargo hold. His other crew members were there already. Not all of them, but most of them. They merely acknowledged his presence with slight nods of their heads and grunts. He felt like they'd lost all hope. It was disheartening, but he also knew that some of his men were out there, free. Kezon and Dariux were not among the captives in the cargo hold. They were surely working on doing something about the terrorists.
Once their captives locked the door and left, Oszul quietly began to speak with his men. "I've called for backup from Less Prorr. I know that's a long distance away. We must keep up hope that help is on the way. Also, Kezon and Dariux are still out there on Vurt. They won't let us rot in here."
The men agreed to try to stay hopeful. They didn't think they would be left alive long enough for reinforcements to arrive, though. Even when they were moved to a cell inside an ice cave, the Hjotts tried to remain brave and not show that they were expecting the worst.
Tr’Zerza showed himself at the entrance of their new cell hidden in the ice cave. "Hello, Commander Oszul. What a wonderful captive to have. I'm sure you didn't expect things to work out like this, did you?"
"They're not going to work out like this," said Oszul. He wanted to leap across the cell and drive his fists into the terrorist's face. But he was bound and doing so would only put his men in danger. "Do whatever you want to me. Just leave the rest of the crew to live. They are just following orders like your men."
"Except they are also the enemy. Don't worry though. I don't plan to kill you. I'd rather let this icy planet's extreme weather take care of you. I've had my eye on your ship though. I'm sure my men will have more luck breaking inside once we have your passcodes."
"Why would I give those to you?" Oszul said proudly. He was starting to lose his nerve though. He knew there were many ways to make someone give up information against their will. Most of those ways were painful and gruesome. With the knowledge that he and his crew were going to be abandoned on the icy planet, where they would definitely freeze to death overnight, things were looking dire.
It was impossible to get any rest in the cramped cell. Some of the men managed to doze off, either on the floor or propped up against the wall. Oszul couldn't even think about sleep. He was too busy trying to figure out a way he could get them all out of this mess. The terrorists couldn't be reasoned with. They had nothing left to lose now. And they certainly weren't going to show any sympathy to the Hjotts. They had too much hatred for them.
It was a somber night. Until someone approached. At first Oszul thought it was just one of the Terud guards and didn't pay them much mind. That was until he noticed the substantial height difference. This person was quite short and moved a lot more gracefully than any of the other aliens.
"Don't say anything," said the figure. It was female voice—a Terran voice.
"Treasure? But how—"
"I said not to say anything. Please." She had somehow gotten by the guards who were watching the ice cave. That must have been her Qetesh training doing its work. Oszul had never seen someone move so quietly, and through so many enemies. Not a single one of them seemed to have the slightest idea an intruder was right in their midst. She approached so close that he could smell her. It took all his strength not to reach out and embrace her. The way his hands were bound would have made that difficult anyway.
Oszul looked to his left and right. The other Hjotts were sleeping or rolled over quietly. They didn't make any sign that they even knew there was a Terran among them. If he hadn't have been awake, he probably wouldn't have noticed unless she woke him. Or maybe it was just that he was the only one she wanted to be aware of her presence. It was impressive how good she was at sneaking.
"How did you get in here without being seen?" he whispered. It was very impressive, and he was proud of her.
She was close to the bars, but not close enough to touch. She was remaining in the shadows just a little distance away from the actual cell that contained the prisoners. "That's my secret, isn't it."
That sly wit. It was definitely her. The cloak she was wearing over a bulky outfit, most likely an ice-suit, made it hard to see her delicate curves and firm figure. "I was leaving the ship to find you. After I picked up the ice-shuttle, I decided to use my training to track y
ou down. Along the way, I was picked up by Kezon and Dariux. They know where you are, but they're outnumbered by the escaped criminals here. They're working out a plan."
"We can go now," he said. He wasn't about to sit there and wait. A Hjott warrior wasn't afraid of going up against a greater number of enemies.
"No, it's too risky right now. If you do that, they're sure to capture me too. I know you wouldn't want that." There was a cold silence, the icy enclosure that surrounded them and kept them in compounding the isolation. Despite her being so close to him, he couldn't reach out and touch her. "Are they still looking for the rest of us?" she asked.
"No, they think they've captured all of us, I'm sure of it."
"Well then, we have surprise on our side. Why ruin that?" She was right, and she knew it. Oszul had no issue letting her take the lead in this decision. He wished he'd done that in the first place.
"How are you going to survive in the cold out here while you wait?" he asked. He was worried about her for so many reasons. Currently, he was terrified that Treasure would freeze to death while attempting to hide out and rescue he and the rest of the crew.
"Kezon, Dariux, and I are perfectly safe. Don't worry. They're never going to find us either. And we're working on a rescue. Don't tell the rest of the crew if you can avoid it. I think it's best that everyone keeps acting like they have no hope, unfortunately."
"I agree." He didn't want to lie to his men, let alone rob them of hope. All he had to do was not tell them about this little visit in the night though. That wasn't as bad as outright lying to them. The looks on their faces, knowing they had failed and were doomed to die there and then though. He would just have to deal with guilt for now. It was his burden to bare.
Treasure leaned back and darted her head around. For just a moment, Oszul could see her beautiful face in a sliver of light. The ice cave was only very sparsely lit, with the cell being completely dark at night. Something had caught her attention, and she shifted on her haunches from her crouching position. "I have to go," she said. Leaning forward and coming close, she pressed her face partway between the bars.
Taking her lead, Oszul moved closer and leaned forward. They only had enough space to share a light kiss, but the feeling was warming. It created that telltale glow in his heart. His uxormea was brightly glowing. He had to check that his ice-suit was properly closed. The glow from his love for Treasure would otherwise be likely to draw the attention of one of the Teruds.
"I'll be back for you soon, I promise. We'll be back to rescue all of you. Keep your hope up," she said. She stood and was just about to hurry away through the shadows, but Oszul grabbed her by the arm.
He needed to get one more thing out. "Wait," he said, then he paused for a moment. The words were going to be difficult to get out. This wasn't the ideal situation for him to be sharing something like that. But when was it ever really the ideal time to share something so carefully guarded?
Chapter 14
Treasure
Treasure knew this was going to be something serious. If it was something she wanted to hear, she wasn't sure. One thing she knew for sure though—this wasn't the best time to be discussing anything other than escape. Holding her breath, she waiting for whatever was coming next.
With a heavy expression on his face, Oszul lowered his head and took a moment. He breathed in and then exhaled, as though he was about to try to lift a massive object by himself. Truthfully, there was obviously a heavy weight he needed to haul. It wasn't physical though. It was to do with his emotions. "Treasure ... it's my uxormea."
Her heart started to flutter. She wondered if here dream could possibly be coming true. But no, they'd been close several other times—very close. It had never lit up before, had it? He'd always been wearing clothes. Except that one time they were trying to keep warm. She had been too out of it to look. They were pressed too closely together. Wouldn't he have known if it had anyway?
"My uxormea is glowing because of you. It has burst forth. That means one thing. One thing only."
"We're fated mates..." she whispered almost without sound. The truth of the matter started to enshroud her. It was worrying, but also exhilarating. So many new possibilities were opening in her imagination. It was a considerable effort to keep her mind from racing off. No, stay in the moment. Stay in this moment. It was only going to happen once.
"Treasure, I love you. I plan to claim you as my true mate, for life. That is ... if you'll have me."
"Oh, Oszul," she said, pausing. She needed to think, but there was no time to think. What if she never saw him again? Could she live with herself if she denied him the knowledge of how she felt about him? It's not like he could ever have another fated mate.
She wanted to say yes. That single word would have felt so good to let out. She almost allowed herself to say it at full volume. Luckily for them all, her Qetesh training had made sure that she kept her voice at barely a whisper. They were so close to each other that the coldness from the cell bars was chilling her face. Her lips surely must have been blue. They felt like they were going to freeze off if she didn't put her mask and goggles back on very soon.
But she didn't have time to tell him. Footsteps approached. Saying anything would have condemned them all for certain. Someone was definitely coming now. She peeked around to find where they were approaching from but couldn't see them yet. That was good though. Treasure had to go without saying anything else to Oszul. That was the most difficult thing she'd ever had to do. It crushed her to leave it like that, but she told herself they would see each other again. We won't leave it at that. I won't let that happen.
She quickly moved away from the area where the cell was. It was a freezing cold night, but she thankfully had the extra added warmth of the cloak over her ice-suit. It was doing enough to keep her from getting too cold this time. Thinking about something practical like that was working to take her mind of the bomb that Oszul had just dropped.
How did she feel about that? She wanted to be able to tell him, and even thinking about it now was just too much to handle. Treasure was getting tunnel vision and blurry eyes from wanting to cry. Her breathing was heavier by the second, her legs starting to shake, and her whole body became unstable. It wasn't the cold, nor was it the physical hardship she'd endured while on that planet and in hiding.
This was something much worse. Treasure was confused and unsure about her feelings. They were big feelings though, that much was clear. Coupled with the inability to even be able to respond back there when she was talking to Oszul. Why did he have to drop something like that on her right then and there? It was actually kind of selfish. She tried to make herself mad about it. Dealing with being anger was always so much easier than having to face up to her feelings.
By the time she got back to their hidden ice-cave and joined Kezon and Dariux, desperation was setting in. Feeling so helpless was not going to make this rescue mission any easier. The other two were settled in for the night. "How did it go?" asked Kezon. Dariux was sleeping, since it wasn't his turn to take watch. It would be next though, so he needed to get some rest while he could.
"I did what I needed to do. We had enough time to discuss everything. Everything about the mission that is..." said Treasure.
"What do you mean by that? Is something wrong?" asked Kezon. "You seem shaken up. How about you get some sleep while I cover the start of your watch. Just an hour or two?"
"Thank you," she replied. It was dark in their tiny ice-cave. They had needed to find something fast, something that was nearby the others. The only light was a tiny bulb that gave off a white-blue glow. It wasn't exactly a cozy environment, but at least they had good sleeping equipment to keep them warm at night. That and enough food.
"Can I confide something in you?" she finally asked.
Kezon seemed hesitant to say it, but he finally replied, "Yes, you can."
"I know that you're Kedun's brother," she said.
"That's correct."
"Well, he an
d Aryn, my superior Qetesh officer. They're ... well, mated."
He nodded. Treasure was having trouble getting the words out with those steely eyes staring back at her in the relatively gloomy surrounding of that tiny light and the cave. Talking about relationships with a Hjott was not her idea of an easy thing to do.
"Well," she continued. And then Treasure just took a deep breath and went ahead with a full explanation. She spilled the beans about what had just happened. "Why would he have told me that?" she asked.
"Because, if his uxormea has burst forth for you, then you are truly his fated mate. There is no escaping that for him. You, however, do have a choice of course," he replied.
"You mean he would just mate me because of his DNA? Does that mean he doesn't necessarily like me as a person?"
"I think he is the only one who could tell you that," replied Kezon.
It was a frustrating answer, but what else had she been expecting?
When they had all gotten a little rest, Kezon headed to the Scorpius to get it ready for an escape. Then it was up to Treasure and Dariux to sneak back into the prison camp and rescue Oszul and the other Hjotts. It was still dark.
It wasn't going to be a fast rescue; not with the plan they had worked out. There were only three of them to carry out the whole plan though. They needed a dedicated getaway pilot back on the ship, as well as someone to operate the long range comms if needed. That left just the Hjott and Qetesh.
First, they worked their way slowly around the outside of the prison camp area, setting up explosives. They were basic devices that had been simple enough to make with the equipment they had. "These will be set to a specific time," said Dariux. "Unfortunately we don't have any remotes for them."
"Are you sure we'll be able to time this properly?" Treasure asked.
"We don't have any other choice."
