Kierce
Page 9
Elianna thought of the man who’d made Kierce stand down and given her his word the tiger would be brought to safety. “I think I met him, briefly. Impressive.”
“Jill’s his mate. She’s the one who escaped originally and rescued the Badari, including the Alpha, so she’s pretty much a legend here in the valley. Highly respected by the humans and the Badari. Aydarr’s the ultimate ruler, though, and what he says, goes. The Badari are organized in a pack structure, with Aydarr at the top, Jill next, a couple of what we’d call lieutenants, and then it gets a bit more complicated from there. You’ll see. Humans keep things in the valley running, as far as nonmilitary matters but, make no mistake, Aydarr and Jill have the last word.”
“A pack?” She pondered the information. Kierce had never mentioned being in a pack. “Because of the animal DNA?”
Clicking her stylus, Bettira gaped at her, eyes narrowed. “And how do you know? The Badari don’t exactly share details of their heritage while out on combat missions.” She waved a hand and redirected her attention to the information on the handheld. “Never mind, when you have your detailed interview later this week you can explain. I got way off topic there for a minute. Let’s get through with the rest of this intake process so you can go have a shower, change clothes and eat. Relax in your dorm room.”
“What if I want to explore the valley a bit today? See the lake up close?” Elianna made herself stop fidgeting and smile as she tested the limits. “Freedom is kind of intoxicating. You understand, I’m sure.”
Bettira tapped the screen on her handheld. “I sure do. I spent months in two different Khagrish labs, and I was sure I’d died and gone to heaven when I arrived here. You can sign up for a guided tour at the dorm or wait till the one at the end of the week. I wouldn’t advise wandering around until you’ve been briefed and cleared. The Badari maintain certain areas strictly off limits to humans.”
What are they hiding? Angry at herself for being suspicious of the people who’d rescued her, she reminded herself what an honest and trustworthy man Kierce was. Surely the others of his kind were equally above board. Just because the Khagrish were devious and evil, she shouldn’t let herself become paranoid. “Thanks for the warning,” she said to Bettira. “Listen, I was in a cell with someone, a friend.” Elianna decided to start cautiously on her attempt to find out what was happening to Kierce and where he might be. “I don’t see him in this crowd. How would I go about finding out what his status is?”
“The newcomer roster won’t be ready until tomorrow but then all the names of today’s rescuees will be integrated with the overall valley resident list.” Bettira turned the handheld so Elianna could see it and scrolled rapidly through several screens of names as a demonstration. “You can check on the handheld you’ll be issued and find out what dorm they’re in.”
“What about a Badari?”
From the way Bettira stared at her, Elianna was afraid she’d said too much and raised suspicion in her interviewer’s mind. “I wanted to thank the guy who pulled me out of the cell block,” she added hastily. “It all happened in such a rush, and he was so kind.”
Apparently satisfied, the other woman cleared her screen and took a sip of water. “I assure you there’s no need. He was doing his job—I’m sure he understands how grateful you are. But, after this orientation week is over, you can make an inquiry at the Admin offices. That’s the best way to follow up. The Badari are mostly focused on the war with the Khagrish and protecting the valley so they don’t interact too much with the human population, except at the mixers. The Alpha insists on the community get-togethers so I guess he’s trying to make us one happy community.” Her expression became a bit dreamy. “Which is fine with me—the Badari guys are something else all right.” Now she frowned at Elianna and pointed the stylus at her. “Word of advice? They like to make the first move. If he was interested in you, he’ll find you.”
A bit nonplussed, Elianna fumbled nervously with the borrowed shirt covering her upper body and mumbled, “Okay, thanks for the advice.”
“Since you’re a pilot, you’ll probably see a lot of the Badari. They’re the only ones with use of the flyers, other than the human pilots. Now, where was I?” Bettira reviewed her screens.
Several hours later, Elianna lay on her bed in the tiny dorm room, staring at a ceiling full of stalactites festooned with softly glowing lichen in a rainbow of colors. Yes, as promised, the room was in a modular structure constructed inside the largest cave she’d ever seen in her life, but had heat and light. She’d bathed in a refreshing hot springs pool and dressed in fresh clothing issued from the valley’s stores facility. Dinner in the giant dining hall inside another cave had been amazingly high quality food, many of the ingredients freshly grown here in the valley, according to their assigned ‘first week mentor’.
There’d been an entire table of the gigantic Badari soldiers near hers, and she’d been fascinated by them as they laughed and joked amongst themselves, speaking their own language and ignoring the humans. Well, that wasn’t entirely true, they’d been friendly with various people who paused at their table to chat briefly, obviously long established residents of the valley.
The confident men reminded her of Kierce and her heart ached, wondering if she’d ever see him stand before her as a man again.
Suze leaned over to their mentor and said, “Do the Badari ever pay attention to human women?” She batted her eyes playfully and laughed. “Because those are the best looking guys I’ve ever seen.”
“We have social events fairly often here in the valley, where mingling between humans and Badari is encouraged,” the woman replied, echoing what Elianna’s interviewer had said. “You’ll see—there’s going to be a party to welcome all of you, probably in a week or so. There have been several marriages, well what the Badari refer to as ‘becoming mates’ actually. Jill, who you met when you arrived, is the Alpha’s mate.” She blushed. “See the soldier at the far end of their table? I’m dating him but so far, no mate bond.”
“What’s a mate bond consist of?” asked another recently rescued woman, giving voice to the question Elianna herself had.
The mentor frowned and picked at the cheesy casserole on her plate. “It’s hard to explain but, as far as I can tell, it means their goddess approves of the pairing. It’s a special level of connection lasting a lifetime. I heard someone refer to it as being fated mates once. Supposedly, if one of them finds his mate, he knows it without a doubt, but it takes the human woman longer to realize.” She shrugged. “But you can have a lot of fun in the meantime. There are only a few Badari women so we humans have the advantage.”
Elianna had no other experience in her previous life to use a frame of reference for the way life was lived here, which was confusing. The valley wasn’t paradise by any means, but there was a feeling of raw energy and determination among the people she met.
The biggest catch was that this was permanent, no way to return to the life she’d had before. And she was under the command of an Alpha from a genetically engineered alien species, whose first priority was waging a war. Her change in circumstances was a lot to take in, and she understood better how the various people involved in new arrival orientation had tried to convey the overwhelmed state of mind they expected newcomers to deal with.
Rolling onto her stomach in the narrow bed, she wondered if Kierce had arrived yet and where he’d been placed. Not in the dormitory area. Did he know any of these Badari? He hadn’t acted friendly to them at the Khagrish lab, but he’d been having flashback issues the night before and clearly the combat occurring close to them in the morning had upset and unsettled him further. I wish they’d let me stay with him. Maybe she should have argued more insistently. But then Elianna remembered the way the Alpha had spoken to her, and she admitted the impossibility of resisting his command to leave the cell when she did. And then she was caught up in the well-oiled process for the rescued humans and on her way before she knew it.
Tomorro
She was going to feel foolish if her worries were unfounded and he was in the barracks with all his fellow soldiers, life reset to normal. She hoped he’d ended up like that. But Elianna had the nagging foreboding it wasn’t going to be simple for Kierce, however. And if he was in his primary form as the man, he’d have made an effort to find me. I know he would.
CHAPTER EIGHT
She was at breakfast next morning, shepherded there by the mentor, along with Suze and the other rescued women from the Khagrish lab, when a Badari boy approached the table and sought her out.
“Are you Elianna?” he asked, standing by her elbow.
Surprised, immediately thinking of Kierce, she said, “Yes,” and was rising from her chair.
“The Alpha wants to meet with you now,” the boy said. “I’ll take you to his office.”
She was mildly amused as she accompanied her young guide out of the dining hall. How very alpha, not to say please, or is this a good time for you or anything. But then she sobered as she emerged from the artificial light into the bright sunlight. The man she was about to meet was responsible for this valley, everyone in it, and for waging a war on the Khagrish. It probably was best if everything was done on his schedule.
“I’m Yonn, by the way,” her companion said as they walked rapidly toward a part of the valley she hadn’t been in yet. He looked about ten in human age but with a Badari there was no way to be sure.
“Pleased to meet you.” She detected a resemblance between him and Kierce, in the strong, handsome features, golden amber eyes and, even at the child’s age, he was athletic and imposing. She hadn’t seen children in the valley, other than a few boys around the age of this one. “Have you heard anything about a big cat, Yonn? I’d call him a tiger, but a really big predator?”
Yonn shot her a sideways glance.
Her heart hammered. He knows about Kierce.
Not missing a step as he ascended a winding path toward a small cluster of well camouflaged buildings, Yonn said, “You’ll have to ask the Alpha. I’m only tasked with getting you to the office, not with answering questions.” He gave her a wide, happy smile as if to take the sting out of the comment, and Elianna’s opinion was he’d be a heart breaker when he grew up.
Of course, his reply also blocked any other questions she might have tried asking him and she accompanied Yonn in silence rest of the way.
Instead of an office, Yonn led her into a well-appointed conference room. A woman she recognized as Nicolle from the briefing the day before was waiting. “I’m Nicolle James,” she said, extending her hand in a friendly manner. “Chief of administration for the valley operations.”
“Elianna McNamee. I remember you from the briefing when we arrived.” They shook hands and Elianna added, “I have to thank everyone I meet for rescuing us.”
“It’s our primary mission, right after defeating the Khagrish. I trust the arrangements have been to your satisfaction so far?” Without waiting for her to answer, Nicolle turned to Yonn. “Will you let Aydarr know we’re ready?”
Giving her a small salute, the boy left the room. Nicolle drew Elianna toward a chair. “It’s all looted from various labs we’ve taken down,” she said, gesturing at the table and chairs. “Sometimes we have more opportunity to procure items than at other times. Would you like a cup of tea? The Badari swear by it and most of us have developed the taste.”
“I was just finishing breakfast so I’m fine, thanks. Nothing for me.” Elianna sank into the chair, folded her hands and waited. Probably not every new resident of the valley got a private meeting with the Alpha. She hoped the subject was going to be Kierce.
Nicolle took a chair across from Elianna as the Alpha entered the room, followed by Jill, his mate, as well as the soldier who’d carried Elianna from the cell block yesterday and two humans, both dressed in combat fatigues, boots and black tee shirts. A shiny metallic ovoid floated in the air beside Jill, sheets of color washing over its surface in a dizzying pattern. Feeling as if she should salute the couple leading the pack, Elianna rose from her seat and stood at parade rest.
“At ease and welcome to the valley,” Aydarr said, offering his hand. After they shook, he introduced his mate.
“This is MARL,” Jill said, waving her hand at her colorful attendant. “He’s an alien Artificial Intelligence. Don’t mind him.”
Elianna admired her insouciant air. When confronted with such an unusual being, it was a bit of a challenge to ignore the AI, especially as he continued to display a pinwheel of color as he floated.
The others introduced themselves. The massive Badari soldier was identified as Mateer, the pack’s senior enforcer or lieutenant. The humans were Gabe Carter and Walt Ezden, neither of whom offered other information about their role in the valley or at the meeting today.
Aydarr took the seat at the head of the table, flanked on either side by Jill and Mateer. As Gabe and Walt joined Nicolle on the other side of the table from Elianna, the leader asked, “You indicated at the initial interview yesterday you were the engineer for the Mackenzie?”
“Assistant engineer, yes sir.” She was surprised by the topic. “We had a tech crew of three plus trainees since the Mackenzie was a heavy lift freighter with a limited passenger capacity.”
“What class?” Walt fired off the question.
“She was an Armstrong, with standard engines. We were due for an upgrade next year, getting the new Yeatters, so I’ve studied those but haven’t actually worked on them.” Remembering what Bettira had said yesterday, about it being five years elapsed time since she was captured, Elianna added, “I’m sure technology has moved on since then.”
The men grilled her about the specifications of the ship and the engines then veered off into other aspects of her technical background, posing what if questions about various scenarios. Elianna was damn good at what she did for a living and answered the rapid interrogation with ease. Jill interposed a few questions about what sounded like military ground support equipment but Elianna had no relevant experience to draw upon for answers, aside from general techspeak.
She had the hunch Aydarr had no interest in her technical expertise or what answers she gave, but was watching her as if assessing her demeanor and tone. His golden eyes glowed ever so slightly. When the human men ran out of questions, Jill asked about her personal history.
“My father and mother were free-lance techs in various colonies. We moved a lot. I did the standard three years in the Sectors Space Navy as a tech when I was old enough to enlist, worked my way up to Tech Specialist First Class, then went into freighters after I was discharged.” She sat back. “Is this a job interview? Or do you ask everyone so many detailed questions?” She stared at the blank faces across the table from her and caught the beginnings of a smile on Gabe’s. Understanding washed over her like a cool wave. “You have a ship, don’t you?”
“Yes, we do,” Aydarr said. “And you’re now one of the select few people in this valley who know the secret.”
“I’ll do anything I can to help,” she said. “Making contact with the Sectors as soon as possible is essential.”
“No argument there,” Gabe said, nodding as if she’d confirmed something he firmly believed.
“But surely the ship isn’t here in the valley?” she asked. “You couldn’t keep it a secret here. What class is she?”
The Alpha raised one hand to stem her questions. “It’s at another location, yes. And there are issues. Gabe and Walt will fly you out tomorrow so you can inspect the vessel and assess the challenge we’re facing.” He leaned over the table and lowered his voice conspiratorially. “It’s a Chimmer ship.”
Speechless, Elianna rocked back in her chair. How had these people gotten their hands on one of the enemy’s ships? Her mind kicked into high gear, searching for any shred of knowledge about the alien vessels. She’d always been interested in the enemy tech and had regularly scoured the illicit channels of information shared by people in her specialty, as well as keeping in touch with her former comrades in the military. She probably knew more than most civilians. Chimmer vessels were rarely captured, however. Half a dozen major problems for humans voyaging on such a craft came to mind at once.
“Wait until you see it,” Nicolle advised, smiling as if she could read Elianna’s racing thoughts. “We’ve had two techs working with Gabe and Walt, trying to adapt the ship for our purpose but, with your training and expertise, we might actually be able to get underway.”
Elianna checked with the men sitting across the table from her. “You two are pilots?”
“We both had the training in the Special Forces,” Walt answered for both of them. “Sectors military captures a ship on occasion, gotta be able to fly the damn thing home.”
“But, despite our impressive barrage of questions for you a few minutes ago,” Gabe said, “We’re not techs.”
“Well, I am.” No boast, she was damn good and proud of it. The military had offered her a huge bonus to re-enlist but, after her footloose upbringing, she’d wanted more freedom. “When can we go? Are you sure we can’t go today?”
“Tomorrow is soon enough,” Aydarr said in an easy going manner. “We try not to fly out too often, don’t want to attract attention from the Khagrish.” He seemed to be on the verge of rising, as if the meeting was concluded.
“Wait,” Elianna reached out a hand to stop him, emboldened by her newfound knowledge of how much they needed her. “I have an agenda item here too. What have you done with Kier—with the tiger? You promised to bring him here, to the valley, and I want to see him today. Now. Please.”
“Tiger?” Walt asked.
“Yeah, biggest damn thing I ever saw, took three Badari to manage him even with an antigrav litter,” Gabe confirmed. “I flew the beast back here, and he slept like a baby for the entire trip.”
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