The Theron Residency (Brides of Theron Book 4)

by Anthony Lorino, Rebecca

  “Jen, I’m not hungry. I just feel sick.” Mattie put her hand to her brow and closed her eyes.

  “Mattie, you need to eat. What will I tell Brylon if you aren’t here when he comes to rescue you?” Jenaya stirred the contents of the metal bowl over the fire to warm it up.

  “Brylon is not coming Jenaya. It sure was nice talking to you about my son. I am so glad that he turned out to be an exceptional engineer, but I am going to be realistic. I have been her ten long years without rescue. I am quite certain that I will die here. You might want to accept the fact that you might never leave this place either.”

  Jenaya shook her head. She didn’t wish to believe that she would spend the rest of her days nursing the sick and frail in this small dirty cave. She sat next to Mattie’s pallet setting the bowl carefully beside her. She helped Mattie sit up, propping her up against the damp cave wall. “Please eat. I could not live with myself if I did not at least offer you some of this soup.” She spooned up some of the soup and put it to Mattie’s lips as she reluctantly opened her mouth. Jenaya smiled and spooned her some more. She dipped some of the stale, flat bread into the soup and handed it to Mattie to eat. “At a girl.”

  When she finished half of what she was offered, she said, “Thank you Jen. I do feel a little better. But, now I am so very tired.” Mattie started to lie down and Jenaya helped her to the ground. “Your parents would be proud of you.” When Mattie was settled, she eyed the entrance of the cave and said, “I think you have a visitor.”

  Jenaya rolled her eyes and turned her head to have a look. Walking in with the light on his back was Carel. He carried in a box and placed it on the cot she was using as a table. She immediately went to have a look at what was in the box. Several bundles of soft and clean white cloth squares tied up with string, a small ampule of healing salve, a couple of bowls and a pair of tweezers. “What is this?” she asked.

  “I know that it’s not much, but I figured that you could make use of some of this,” he said.

  “What I could really use is a scanner and more healing salve. I have been seeing a number of people coming in for gastrointestinal illnesses. Is there any chance that someone could check the latrines for leaks into the ground water? With that in mind, a water testing kit would be useful. I’m sure that it would probably be too much to ask for more fruit and vegetables in the diets of the prisoner population, and showering facility. Need I go on? Gods, a better place for me to have a clinic that is clean and not damp that has at least the minimal amount of equipment for me to keep these people well. I would give anything right now to have my sick bay on the ship here instead of this cave.” She turned away and scanned the empty pallets around Mattie. All the other patients had returned to work at one of the guard's orders. ‘If they were well enough to walk, they were well enough to work! Do you think I care if they shit all over themselves!’ he had said. “What do you want Carel?” she said sharply.

  “I need a favor.”

  “Excuse me. As you can probably see, I am in no position to offer anyone any favors.” What the hell could he want from her? If she agreed to do anything for him, she would make sure that she would get something in return.

  He moved closer to her, making her very uncomfortable. She could feel the warmth of his breath against her ear as he whispered, “Zirlo said that I could trust you.”

  Jenaya looked at him incredulously. Trying not to disturb Mattie, she spoke in a tone that was louder than she intended, “What the hell are you talking about? Zirlo has been dead for ten years.”

  Mattie must have overheard their conversation and picked her head up and said, “Jen, Zirlo has been here with us the whole time. He did not die in battle as you may have been led to believe. He was captured like the rest of us.” She looked over to Carel, “Where is Zirlo now?”

  Carel pulled Jenaya over to Mattie’s pallet and they both squatted down beside her. “I helped Zirlo and Lars escape. They were attempting to return to Theron to get some help. Nobody here knows that they are gone. I don’t know if they arrived or even made it past the atmosphere of Drylon because I am unable to communicate with them at this time. However, I should find out next week when I leave to visit my family on Pernmock.”

  Mattie started to tear up, “You mean to tell me that we might actually go home?”

  Carel looked into her eyes beyond the horror of her disfigured face and nodded. “But, we have to keep this secret. No one else can know about it.”

  Jenaya looked at the two of them. “You mean to tell me that you are helping us?”

  “Shhhh! If I am found out, I will be executed and then where will you be?” He got up and went to the door peeking his head out the cave opening to see if anyone was near enough to overhear them. “Which brings me to my favor? I dug up some body parts of a Theron man that died recently. I need you to identify the skull and hand bones as Zirlo and Lars.”

  “Let me get this straight. You dug up the body of a Theron warrior? What kind of an animal are you?” She tried to whisper a response but in her agitated state she spoke a little louder than necessary and Carel pulled her closer to the back wall of the cave.

  “Please keep your voice down.” He looked at her considering his answer, “What kind of an animal am I? I’m just the kind of animal that is going to get you out of here.”

  “Let’s just say I agree to do this for you. What makes you think that the testimony of a prisoner would be sufficient to convince anyone that the two sets of bones once belonged to Zirlo and Lars?” She looked at Mattie, who was staring at the both of them with her mouth wide open.

  “You probably would be surprised at my answer, but I think they would believe you. You are a doctor, right? They let you open a clinic, right? You could say that the bones based on descriptions you got from the men that knew them are consistent with the remains of both men. To strengthen your argument about Zirlo, we can send several of the men over from his quadrant over to identify his…I don’t know…Teeth. As for Lars, he had some really badly broken fingers which would help identify him. As I said, I would use the skull and a hand from the body I dug up. I know that what I have done is a bit barbaric. But, I am sure that the dead Theron prisoner wouldn’t mind making this sacrifice to help his fellow warriors. His participation will surely not go unappreciated.” His look was pleading. “Do you think you could help me Jenaya?”

  “First of all, they let me open the clinic because I told them that it would keep the workers healthier so that they could work harder. And secondly, replicating the cracks in the severely broken fingers will be difficult. But, if done convincingly, could serve as a possible identifying factor for Lars. That is, only if enough people know about it. Other than that distinctive characteristic, it may be hard to convince them that the hand belongs to him.” She paused and looked up at him, “If I do this for you, you have to do something for me.”

  “What do I have to do? I will do anything.” Carel pleaded.

  “Well, let’s see. I will need some measuring implements in order to convince them that I know what I am talking about. I am also going to need what I asked for when you came in. I am in dire need of a medical scanner and some healing salve at the least. Can you give me something to write all this down?” Her thoughts were going a mile a minute now. She needed medicine that worked internally for those with these unusual growths and so much more. If she could just get her hands on the essential supplies, she might possibly be able to get these people healthy enough to survive until help arrives. He handed her a pen and small pad of paper. She quickly jotted down everything that she could think of and went over the list so that he could translate it into his language. Writing was always a bit tricky. Just about every civilization connected to the intergalactic trading co-op had chip implants in their ears so that they could understand what each other said. However, written language was unique to the planets from which the people originated from.

  “I will get what I can. Remember, I can only bring what I can sneak in
here. You know Jenaya, if you help me, I may be able to get close enough to Gatton to see what he is going to do next. But, I can only achieve this if we work together. Neither one of you can speak a word of this to anyone. No one can know that this nightmare might be almost over. Do you understand?” He looked to Mattie and then back to Jenaya as they both nodded. “Alright, I have to get back before they start looking for me. I will talk to the men in Zirlo’s quadrant today about identifying the body.”

  “Can you at least have someone check the latrines?” Jenaya smiled sweetly.

  “You are pushing it woman.” He said as he left the cave.

  She went in a huff to the box to get the salve. She opened a small container and sniffed the contents. It was definitely some kind of healing balm. She guessed that it was worth a try as she was quickly running out of options for Mattie. She put a small amount on her finger and began to rub it into the hard skin near next to her nose and on her shoulder. Maybe, just maybe, this could help her. She still wasn’t sure about Carel though. “Mattie, you said that Zirlo is alive. How come we thought he died all those years ago?”

  “He has been here with us from the beginning. He was always our leader like he was on Theron or his ship. We would go to him when we needed to settle disputes among ourselves or to have him mention the things that we needed from the guards. Sometimes, he would intervene when the guards took too many liberties. He took good care of us just like he did on Theron. At least, he tried his best. I had heard that he had fallen from a cliff the day you arrived. Deep down, I had hoped it wasn’t true. I hadn’t heard anything else since then because I have been in this cave with you. As for why the people at home thought he was dead, I don’t know. Sometimes it is easier to let someone go if you believe that they are gone for good. I am sure that my son thinks I am dead. To tell you the truth, I would certainly rather he move on with his life. It would break my heart to think of him continuing to worry about me when there was nothing he could do to change my circumstances.”

  “Do you think that we can trust Carel?” Jenaya asked.

  “Well Jen, what choice do we have?” Mattie said as she put her head back down and readied herself to go back to sleep. Once Jenaya heard the rhythmic breathing of her sleeping patient she returned to her thoughts. Mattie was right. What choice did they have?

  

  Gatton made it clear that he was not convinced that Zirlo and Lars had died at the base of the pit. It was just too much of a coincidence that the once astute leader of the Theron race turns up missing. He wasn’t the only one to go missing that day. That traitorous half-breed who had extensive knowledge of ship systems was found missing at about the same time a conveniently placed Drylon craft disappears. How likely is it that the two prisoners, who happened to careen down a rocky cliff to their deaths, disappear without a trace? When the storm finally cleared, he had attempted to send several scouts using hover boards down but they failed miserably. The magnetic rocks in the cliff face wreaked havoc any equipment that tried to descend into the seemingly bottomless pit below. Even probes would come back with nothing but static images recorded in their databanks. Fortunately for Carel, it was impossible for anyone to get far enough down the side of the cliff to be able to see the wreckage of the cart much less the bodies. No one was able to confirm the death of the two missing men. It just added to the questions and insecurities that Gatton held. For Carel, however, it seemed as if a higher power was pouring out His blessing to keep his scheming under the radar.

  At the last guard meeting with the emperor, Carel had a plan. He suggested that since he had experience with rock climbing, he would be willing to descend down the cliff to ease his esteemed leader’s piece of mind. In return for securing evidence that Zirlo and Lars died down there, Gatton promised that he would be promoted to the inner circle of his guard. He would take over leadership of the entire prison camp and would report directly to Gatton himself. Carel did not know if this promotion would be in his best interests. After all, the last supervisor of the prison was shot in the head at point-blank range when he reported that Zirlo and Lars were missing at about the same time a Drylon ship went AWOL.

  The work camp was as busy as always. It made him sad to walk through this place. All of these people were so skinny and malnourished that their bones jutted out from underneath the tattered clothing they all wore. The women nearest to him walked by with the large heavy jugs of water strapped to the yokes across their shoulders. The sound of the ladles that hung from the leather belts at their waists audibly clanged together with each step they took. Full of so much dust and despair. His only consolation was that they all may be out of this dump in a couple of weeks. But, until the moment they were all free, he would keep trying to push his way further into the upper echelon of the Drylon military establishment. He was certainly on his way. He would earn that promotion when he brought evidence of the bodies from the bottom of the pit. Stuffed in the large bag with his gear were the burned skull and hand of the dead Theron warrior that he would pass off as Zirlo and Lars.

  He took massive coil of rope that dangled from a large metal ring on his pack and began to unravel it. He prepared the line and set up all his rigging equipment. Pulling several yards, he attached it to his harness with a series of tucks forming a knot. He tugged hard on the rope to make sure the knot was secure and tossed the remaining length of rope over the edge of the cliff. He thoroughly checked all of his equipment before he made his decent. He hoped that the rope was long enough to reach the bottom. This was the longest line that he had ever packed. It made the climbs of his past feel less than the challenge they actually were. The thick leather gloves on his hands would protect his skin from rope burn as he leaped down. He felt the butterflies in his stomach as he leaned back vertical to the cliff edge and took the first leap off of the top of the cliff making his way into the deep pit below. It was the anticipation of danger, that rush of excitement that made climbing one of his favorite outdoor activities.

  As he descended, he thought about last night. After meeting with the doctor, he had brought the charred skull to the men in Zirlo’s group to examine it before lights out. He figured that they would have to possess some knowledge of its unique characteristics to convince the higher ranking officers that they were telling the truth. The teeth were straight and perfect like Zirlo’s with one feature they may be able to capitalize on. He noticed the missing molar on the upper left side that might have been removed sometime in the last year. Because the prisoners had no dental care available to them, Danuwee decided they would concoct a story that a year ago Zirlo was always battling tooth pain and that he was having trouble with an abscessed tooth. Danuwee would say that he pulled the tooth out himself. The skull might prove easy. However, Jenaya had explained that the identification of Lars’ hand was going to be a bit more complicated. He would bridge that gap when he came to it.

  He made one leap after another, setting anchors as he went down until he reached the rocky bottom. He found the mining cart lying on its side with all the large boulders spilling out to the side. He dug around the wreckage knowing full well that he would not find bodies. It didn’t matter anyway. Nobody was crazy enough to accompany him down here and others thought he was nuts for suggesting it in the first place. Carel was a very skilled climber and had solo-climbed many of the steep slopes on Pernmock. He had learned from the best. Kurtz had taught him everything that he needed to know and brought him and his father to some of the most challenging mountain peaks on his planet.

  He had already come up with a reasonable explanation for why the bodies had been burned. When the ground at the bottom of the pit was impacted by the heavy cart, it opened a small fissure located near the wall at the base of the pit into an isolated natural gas pocket. The gas was under pressure and when released was ignited when the metal wheels of the cart sparked against the rock as it hit the ground leaving a big gaping hole in the rock face. The flames must have been fanned by the heavy winds that day, making th
e fire burn hotter. This theory would be hard to disprove unless someone else came down to survey the wreckage. Given the hesitation of the guards that refused to volunteer to join him, he doubted anyone else would want to check to validate his findings.

  They would never have known that there was a fire burning down here that day. The wind from the dust storm would have blown the smoke away from the camp, thus covering the lack of observable smoke on the day in question. He would say that the cart crushed the bodies and the only thing that he could salvage was a broken hand and what must be Zirlo's charred head on the opposite side of the wreckage.

  Taking a deep breath, he looked up the cliff face. It was almost a vertical ascent which was sure to make the progress up the cliff slow and tough. He made his way to the top after several hours of picking and choosing good hand and foot holds. He unhooked the rope from the anchors he placed earlier as he came to each of them. Every so often he would find himself slipping on the scree as he grabbed on tight to the rocks with sweaty hands along the wall and let his harness carry his weight. He amassed numerous cuts and abrasions to his elbows and knees along the way. By the time he was just half way up, he was tired and sore. He was ready for this climb to be over. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the sun was slowly descending below the horizon. He had been at this for hours. As he wiped the sweat from his brow, he looked up to see where he was. Was he almost there already? He really couldn’t tell just how much further it was to the top, but he had to be almost there. He found his first anchor after about ten good heaves up the rock wall.

  As his head popped up from behind the edge of where he started. He saw a couple of the guards that thought he was crazy for even attempting to go down the cliff in the first place. Benton came up to him and offered his hand to pull him up. “Did you find anything down there Fenwick?”

  “I think I did. There was what looked like two bodies trapped under the cart. Unfortunately, I was only able to retrieve a hand and a skull.” He reached into his pack to pull out a cloth sack with the bones, carefully opening it up for them so that they could look inside, “Unfortunately, the bodies were severely burned.” Carel said as he took his gloves off and dusted off his uniform. The knees and elbows of the tan uniform material were stained with blood from the wounds he received from the arduous climb.