Eclipse (Bright Horizons Book 2)

by Wilson Harp

  “The humans? What humans?”

  “There are nine other humans here, in the other rooms.”

  “What are they like?”

  “I don’t know, they are human. Some have dark hair, a couple of them have yellowish hair. Blue eyes, green eyes, dark eyes. You know, humans.”

  “That’s what they look like, but I meant what are they like? Were they the others from the ship? Is Mitchell with them?”

  “No, we are the only two from the ship. Captain Curtis believes that they must split up any groups they capture and only put two in any particular prison.”

  “Clever,” said Alex. Keeping prisoners separated from others they know assures that they can’t work together as effectively. Putting prisoners with a single other person they know gives them someone to be afraid for.

  “Wait, did you say Captain Curtis? Who is he, Manny?”

  “Captain Curtis is the leader of the humans.”

  “Are the rest military as well?” asked Alex.

  “I believe so. I… I haven’t spoken very much with them.”

  Alex was confused by this. Manny was always talking to strangers. The Iltia’cor had an unquenchable curiosity about any human he met. The Iltia’cor.

  “They don’t like you, huh?”

  “Some seem friendly enough, but there are a few that seem to want me to stay away. I don’t think they like me.”

  “Why would you think that?”

  “They said ‘We don’t like you and want you to stay as far from us as possible.’ Then they showed me their middle finger. You know, like you do to people in traffic,” said Manny.

  Alex nodded. It had taken him more than a few days to get used to the idea of being friendly with an Iltia’cor. He had watched one of their leaders casually cut his sister’s throat. He was also one of the few humans to have killed any Iltia’cor in direct combat.

  “I’ll see what I can do to help, Manny,” he said. “Why don’t you tell me what you remember from the time the ship was attacked to the time I woke up.”

  “Don’t you want to see the others?”

  “They can wait. I want to hear what happened. It will help me when I meet Captain Curtis.”

  “I saw you attacking the Otina and then one hit me with his shocker. I was pretty helpless after that. I tried to warn you that one was coming from behind, but I couldn’t make sound come out.”

  Alex interrupted him. “You could see them clearly in the dark?”

  “Not very clear, but I could see enough to know where they were.”

  “Why didn’t you run, or hide?”

  “I was scared, Alex. I just froze. I didn’t know what to do or where to go. I saw you moving very fast and with purpose. You knew what you wanted to do, how you were going to do it, and even the timing of it. I was almost in as much shock of watching you as I was in shock of the attack.”

  “I’ve had training and experience in those situations, Manny. That’s all.”

  Manny smiled and nodded at Alex. “You were like one of those action heroes in the movies. I never thought anyone could react as fast as they did in those shows, but you did.”

  Alex felt embarrassed. His training was superb and though he was proud of his abilities, he always knew that it was because so many others had invested time and dedication into making him the marine he was.

  “Thank you, Manny. What happened after they knocked me unconscious?”

  “They loaded us into sealed tubes. I wish I had been unconscious, I don’t like confined places.”

  “When you say us, do you mean just you and me or were there others?”

  “There were others. I couldn’t say how many, but at least a few others.”

  Alex felt better when he heard that. He was afraid that if the Otina had been targeting him in particular that the others on the craft would have been left to die in space.

  “What happened next, Manny?” Alex stood as he asked the question. His legs were very wobbly, but he wanted to know exactly how strong he was.

  “I’m not sure. The tubes were very confining, as I said, and they had some gas pumped in that kept me almost immobile. I could hear faint sounds, but couldn’t really move anything more than my eyes. I’m sorry. I’m sure you would have found a way to gather more information.”

  “No, you did good. When they moved us into this place, what happened?”

  Manny fixed Alex with a hard look. Alex didn’t know if that was because Manny was worried when Alex almost fell over after a couple of steps or if it was because he was deep in thought.

  “Four. There were four Otina who were there when they opened my tube and allowed me to climb out. They pushed me into a doorway and one stood with a shocker watching me while the other three opened your tube. Two of them carried you into the room where the other prisoners were. I was pushed in after you. The other prisoners stood watching as they dragged you into this room and laid you down.”

  “And then the Otina left?”

  “Yes,” said Manny. “They closed the door, we heard the field go on and they just left.”

  “The field?”

  “A very powerful energy field that blocks the entrance to the main room. If you open the door, you can see it.”

  “The other prisoners showed you?”

  “Yes, they tossed a scrap of clothing and it burst into flames.”

  “Mosar field?”

  “No, the Pelod explained that it was a new type of field that the Otina had modified specifically to stop humans. They said there is no mosar involved.”

  Alex sat down on the bed again before his legs gave out. He cocked his head to the side and sighed.

  “Pelod? You didn’t tell me there were any Pelod here.”

  “You didn’t ask. There are two Pelod prisoners along with the nine humans.”

  Alex had never imagined that the Otina would take Pelod prisoners. Of course he didn’t think they would take Iltia’cor prisoners, either, and yet they took Manny.

  “Well, I guess we need to go meet and greet the Captain and the others. Maybe he already has a plan on getting out of here,” said Alex.

  “Getting out of here?” asked Manny. “How would we possibly get out of here? We don’t know anything about where we are, the amount of guards, the defenses of the place. We know nothing, Alex.”

  “We know we are prisoners and a prisoner’s first duty is to escape.”

  “But won’t the humans want to rescue us? Wouldn’t it just be safer to wait for a rescue?”

  Alex stood and stepped over to the Iltia’cor.

  “I’m a marine, Manny. ‘Safer’ is not a factor in my decision making process. I just hope Captain Curtis agrees.”

  “Won’t he do what you say?”

  “No, I’m just a Gunny. He wears the rank on his shoulder.”

  “I don’t know what that means, Alex.”

  “It means he outranks me, I will do what he says.”

  Manny caught Alex as he stumbled.

  “You don’t look strong enough, Alex. Maybe you should rest a little more. I can go get Captain Curtis if you want to speak with him.”

  “No, I need to go and see the Captain and the others on my own. I would prefer if I could be on my own two feet, though, so sit me back down and I’ll rest a little.”

  Manny helped Alex sit back on the low bed. The large Iltia’cor then sat on the floor so he was looking straight at his human friend.

  “I don’t understand this, Alex. You are much older than Captain Curtis and you are considered a hero because of your actions in the war. Shouldn’t he follow your orders?”

  Alex shook his head. “No, age has nothing to do with it, nor does action. Rank is what is important. It establishes a well-defined structure where everybody has their position.”

  “But I thought the great power of the humans was their lack of strict structure in their society? That’s the way the humans on Iltia have described it.”

  “True to a point. Individualism is what
makes humanity different than most of the other races, but uniformity can be very efficient. A good leader must make decisions. He must make those decisions because of the authority that is given to him. But a good leader also takes advice. He uses the men that he has authority over to see a situation from all sides and then makes the decision he feels is best. The men under his authority have to trust that he will make the best decision. Even if they don’t agree with it, they must believe and trust that he has the best view of the situation.”

  “But what if he is wrong?”

  “Then the trust of those he is over, crumbles. Eventually, his authority will be eroded and he will be a leader in name only. At that point, it’s only a matter of time before he is replaced.”

  “What if his bad decisions get people killed?”

  Alex shrugged. “That’s why those in higher authority must make wise decisions about who to give command to. If Captain Curtis was given his command by wise leaders, then I will trust his judgment until he gives me reason not to.”

  “Seems like a large risk to take, Alex. I wish I had your faith in someone I don’t know.”

  “Don’t worry, Manny. We’ll get out of here and you will be back on Iltia before you know it.”

  “You really believe that, don’t you?”

  “Of course.”

  “That is so odd, because I really believe we are going to die here.”

  Alex stood and stretched. “Cheer up, Manny. Maybe you will be right.”

  He started walking carefully toward the door.

  “Let’s go meet Captain Curtis.”

  Chapter 5

  The room was quiet when Alex entered. Men were speaking or moving around, but it was still quiet. It was the quiet of men thinking. Of men afraid to let go of their thoughts.

  Several of the men sat on the floor. Others were leaned up against the walls with their eyes closed. When Alex took a few steps in, one of those men opened his eyes and walked over.

  “I’m Captain Curtis, U.S. Army. Welcome to hell. Or at least purgatory.” He didn’t smile as he said it, but he did extend his hand.

  “Gunnery Sergeant Ramirez, U.S. Marine Corp. Good to meet you Captain.” Alex shook the captain’s hand as several of the other men moved towards them.

  “Let me introduce your new compatriots, Sergeant,” said Curtis. “This is Lieutenant Jeffries. He is U.S. Air Force.”

  “Lieutenant,” said Alex.

  “Sergeant,” replied Jeffries.

  “Call me Gunny, sir,” said Alex. “In fact, you can all refer to me as Gunny if you wish.”

  “As you wish, Gunny,” said Curtis. “This is Sergeant Hopkins, U.S. Army.”

  Alex shook hands and exchanged greetings with the other men as they were introduced. All of the humans, it appeared, were part of the Earth Forces. In addition to those from the U.S., Corporal Adams was from the Australian Army, Sergeant Grieg and Private Fleischer were from Norway, and Sergeant Singh was from India.

  Two men had risen and left the room by another door when Alex first walked in.

  Alex nodded to the door. “Who were they?” he asked.

  Curtis sighed. “Sergeants Liao and Hu, Chinese. Liao has a real problem with your friend there. And with you, to be honest. We figured out who you were when the Iltia’cor said your name.”

  “I see. The Iltia’cor does have a name. It’s Mantriq. Or Manny if he lets you call him that,” said Alex.

  Captain Curtis put his arm around Alex and eased him away from the other men. When he spoke, he softened his voice so his words wouldn’t carry.

  “Look, Gunny. I think we all understand how it takes a while to get to where you can get over things, right? I mean Singh over there wasn’t too thrilled with being stuck with a lot of Americans. He was in the Indian Army during the war. I have no problem with…”

  “Mantriq.”

  “With Mantriq, but some of the others might be harder to bring around.”

  “I won’t tolerate open disrespect. Not for Manny. He’s civilian.”

  “Yeah, that’s something I need to get your opinion on,” said Curtis.

  “The fact that Manny is civilian?”

  “No, the fact that all of the humans are part of Earth Forces.”

  “That is odd. But no disrespect for Manny,” said Alex.

  “We’re good on that part, Gunny. I’ll put my foot on the neck of the next remark I hear.”

  “Thanks, Captain.”

  “Okay, let’s get back to the others.” Curtis turned and walked to the middle of the room.

  “Jeffries, go get Liao and Hu. Tell them I want everyone assembled. We need to fill in Ramirez and Mantriq on what is happening.”

  Alex noticed two other men set off by themselves on the other side of the room.

  “Are those the Pelod?” he asked Curtis.

  “Yeah, they seem to be getting worse every day.”

  “Worse?”

  “Weaker. Physically and mentally. The Pelod just don’t seem to be handling captivity very well. Some shock, too, I suppose. They said that they have never heard of the Otina taking any Pelod. And then they said that the only reason they took any captives was to experiment on them medically.”

  “Have they done any medical tests?”

  “No. The only time we see any Otina is when they drop off a couple of more prisoners.”

  “Two at a time?” asked Alex.

  “Always,” said Curtis.

  “Who’s missing, then. There are only thirteen of us here.”

  Curtis dropped his eyes. “Major Benton was killed soon after we arrived.”

  Alex nodded. “That’s how you know that the force field is lethal.”

  Curtis nodded, “He was a Marine. He thought that maybe he could get through with some minor burns if he hit it at a full run. He was wrong. He burst into flames and was dead before he hit the ground. Didn’t even have time to scream.”

  “He arrived with you, then.”

  “Yes. He left me in charge. When I get out, I have to let his wife know. It’s going to kill Amanda.”

  “Who was the first here?” asked Alex.

  “Adams and Singh,” said Curtis.

  “Do they have any idea of how long?”

  Curtis nodded to Adams.

  “Forty-three days and about fourteen hours,” said the young Australian.

  Alex was taken aback by the precision of the answer. He looked at Curtis and saw the officer smile back at him.

  “How do you know that?” asked Alex.

  “Don’t know for sure, just always had a way of keeping time. Sort of like an internal clock,” said Adams.

  “How long ago was I brought in?” asked Alex.

  Adams thought for a few seconds.

  “Right at eighty-six hours ago, so three days and fourteen hours.”

  “What about the rest?”

  “Grieg and Fleischer were in eight days after Singh and me. Liao and Hu were in… eight days later. Jeffries and Hopkins…”

  “Eight days later,” finished Alex.

  Everyone looked at Adams. The young man had gone pale as he nodded.

  “Then the Pelod,” said Jeffries.

  “Eight days,” said Adams with a gulp. “I should have figured that out.

  “What does it mean?” asked Singh.

  Alex looked around the room. Eight doors. One main door and seven doors that led to small private rooms. Enough room for sixteen prisoners, two each sharing a room and sleeping in shifts on the single bed.

  “It means we have a full house. Beyond that, I don’t know. Maybe they will seal us up, maybe they will start to experiment on us, maybe they will move us somewhere else,” said Alex.

  The two Chinese soldiers stood off to the side watching the others converse. Alex saw one of them speaking to the other in a harsh manner.

  “Captain, I would like to ask Liao and Hu some questions,” said Alex.

  ‘Feel free, Gunny. But Liao has some serious problem wit
h you for some reason.”

  “I’m about to find out what it is. We need to work together if we are going to get out of here.”

  Alex stepped over to the two Chinese men. They stopped talking and looked at the Marine.

  “Sergeants, my name is Gunnery Sergeant Alex Ramirez, United States Marine Corp. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  One of the men hesitated before putting out his hand.

  “Sergeant Hu, People’s Liberation Army. I am glad you are here. I’ve heard of your reputation.”

  Alex shook his hand.

  “I would say I’m glad to be here, but I’m not glad any of us are here. We’ll get out of this, though.”

  Alex extended his hand to the other man. Sergeant Liao crossed his arms against his chest and leaned back.

  “Liao lost his wife and son in the Iltia’cor invasion. He knows you were the one who started the war. He feels their loss greatly and is not ready to show kindness to those he blames,” said Hu.

  Alex understood. He had reasons to hate as well. He stepped close enough to Liao that the two men were almost touching noses.

  “Do you know why I started that war, Sergeant? I was heading home to attend my mother’s funeral and take care of my sister’s daughters. I went to my sister’s lab to say goodbye to her when I saw an Iltia’cor walk up behind her, grab her hair, pull her head back, and slit her throat.”

  Alex’s voice was trembling as he saw the scene in his head. The images had been confined to his nightmares for the last several months, and even the nightmares were less frequent recently.

  “My knife was in my hand before I knew it. Kiltao Bregan was dead before he hit the ground. I killed him then and there. I was his judge, jury and executioner, and I have no doubt in my mind that I had the right to kill him. But I shouldn’t have. I started a war that killed hundreds of thousands of humans and Iltia’cor. And for that, I am sorry. I am sorry that my actions led to the death of your wife and son. I ask you to forgive me.”

  Liao blinked twice at Alex. His arms lowered and he turned and walked into one of the small rooms.

  Alex looked at Hu. Hu nodded and followed Liao from the room.

  “That was the damnedest thing I’ve ever seen,” said Curtis as he walked up beside Alex. “I’ve never seen a man have his anger evaporate like that.”