Nebula Nights: Love Among The Stars

by Melisse Aires

  “It was Gul Tonkiln’s car.” I still can’t believe he might be dead. Assaulted by memories and the pang of sorrow, Andi closed her eyes for a moment. Yet another person who didn’t deserve to die in this insane Clan war.

  “Andi?” Rahuna laid his hand over hers. “Come back from wherever your mind is roaming.” He handed her another triangle of toast. “It would seem Lord Tonkiln has lost his firstborn, as well as the others who perished at the summer compound.” Voice low and hushed, he said, “Tonkiln’s paid a high price for refusing to take the early warnings seriously.”

  “You don’t think there’s a chance the rebels might be holding Gul for ransom?” Appetite gone, Andi set the toast down, untouched.

  Rahuna shook his head, lips pursed, eyebrows drawn together. “This doesn’t seem to be the rebels’ pattern. I fear poor Gul has passed to the next world, murdered no doubt. I continue to give thanks to Sanenre your captain intervened on my behalf, to spare me a similar fate.”

  “Mmm, my captain.” Andi felt like purring. “Has Tom said what he’s planning to do now? How do we get to the capital from here?”

  Picking up a ripe fruit and contemplating its bruised skin, Rahuna shook his head. “Not to me. He and his men have been modifying the two vehicles. The captain wouldn’t even take time to eat, nor let the sergeant have a break. I brought them food out back, in the garage. The men gulped bites here and there as they worked. So, I believe we’re going to take the vehicles.” Rahuna bit into the fruit and munched on it, giving a small sigh. “The comlink here at the station was inoperable, by the way. A severe disappointment to the captain. Rogers said several vital parts were missing.”

  “Tom hoped to call for an air evac.” Andi sipped her coffee then devoured the last two bites of her omelet, which now tasted like cardboard. Doesn’t matter what the food tastes like, I need to eat while there’s food available. I need my strength. “You’re quite a cook, sir, if I may say so.”

  “As a young candidate for priesthood, one is set many tasks to learn, you know. I was assigned to cook for the brothers at the south coast monastery. The supplies left here didn’t run to much more than tibu eggs and basic spices, so I was unable to be creative.” He frowned at the fruit and set it on the platter, fastidiously cleaning his fingers with a cloth napkin.

  Andi finished her cup of coffee in one unladylike gulp and pushed her chair away from the table, wincing at the pain in her left side from the hasty move. “Let’s go find Tom and see how they’re doing. I don’t want to linger at South Amri a minute longer than we have to.” She took a few steps then stopped, hand pressed tight to the bandages on her side. “I’m so stiff my joints are about paralyzed. Mitch said I’ll need a short session in rejuve, but if this gets worse I’ll need a week.”

  “Take your time. Lean on me.” Rahuna escorted her out of the restaurant and around the back, supporting her the whole way. The soldiers had rigged a dozen work lamps, now trained on the two vehicles, making the garage area as bright as midday.

  Tom stood off to the side of Gul’s car, supervising Rogers while he cut a major portion of the roof off. Tools pilfered from the station’s garage lay everywhere. As Rahuna and Andi paced around the corner, arm in arm, Tom made his way to them, yelling “Mitch!” over his shoulder as he did so.

  “You shouldn’t be strolling the premises.” He folded Andi in his arms for a quick kiss. From the corner of her eye, she saw Rogers and Latvik open-mouthed and staring at this affectionate display.

  The sergeant ran up behind him. “What’s the emergency?”

  Tom nodded toward Andi. “See if she’s okay, will you? I don’t want her to aggravate the blaster sear.”

  “So considerate,” Andi murmured.

  “You have to be able to drive when we’re ready to roll out of here.” He loosened his grip on her waist a bit as she winced.

  “You always have an agenda.” Andi laughed. She glanced at him, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously. “Must it always be a military objective you need me for?”

  “Minx.” He kissed her again. “Wait until we get back to the capital, and then we can discuss other objectives I might have in mind.”

  “If you’d go over there, ma’am, sit down, I’ll be one minute.” Mitch left, presumably to retrieve his medkit, returning as Rahuna and Tom got Andi settled onto an empty crate off to the side of all the frenetic activity.

  “What’s the plan for the car?” She stared across the service bay, to where Rogers and Latvik strained to lift the severed portion of the roof off the vehicle’s body.

  As Mitch did a quick but careful examination of her various injuries, Tom braced her with his arm behind her back. “You’ll drive the car—if you’re strong enough.”

  “I’m good to go.” Putting her shoulders back, she straightened from her slouching position.

  Nodding in support of her self-diagnosis, Mitch re-taped the bandages on her side. “She’ll do fine, sir. The sear isn’t any worse. Does it ache yet, ma’am?”

  “Yes. I’m also stiff everywhere, like an old lady.”

  “I have somethin’ for the pain, but best to wait til right before you need to drive.” Mitch held the inject in his hand but glanced at it with a troubled frown. “If I administer it too soon, the drug will wear off in the middle of our run for the capital.”

  “Makes sense. I can wait.” Andi pushed his hand back toward the open medkit. The sergeant dropped the inject into its receptacle and shut the lid.

  Clapping him affably on the shoulder, Tom said, “All right, thanks. You can get back to the cargo hauler and I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “The rest of the plan?” Andi prompted.

  “Sorry—I’m dog tired.” Tom ran a hand over his short-cropped hair. “We don’t have time to reset the car to allow anyone else to drive it. I’m afraid if we do a rush job, we’ll short out the whole system, leaving it useless. So you are the designated driver. I’ll ride shotgun, and Rogers will be crammed into the back with a piece of heavy-caliber hardware we found in Iraku’s truck.”

  Andi stared at the men working on the beat-up hauler. An impressive pile of munitions had been stacked with military precision off to the side. She pointed at the cache. “Were all those weapons in the truck?”

  “Oh, yeah.” His eyebrows drew together in a grim frown. “Enough to equip quite an operation. All Betang-made imitations of Sectors hardware, which will serve as confirmation of your story, once we get to the capital. Those damn Naranti hotheads are taking this planet to hell, begging your pardon, sir.” Tom nodded respectfully to Rahuna.

  Hands in his pockets, Rahuna bowed. “I don’t disagree. It saddens me, for my Clan and for all Zulaire. I hope you’ll be able to save us from this disaster.”

  “How many Betang do you think are here already? There was one in the village, which was enough for me.” Andi crossed her arms and hunched forward, adrenaline rising as she remembered how terrifying the creature had been.

  He rubbed her shoulders carefully for a minute, soothing some of her stress away. “An advance team can be anywhere from one to five agents. Then, if things go their way, the enemy arrives in waves, followed by Mawreg heavy cruisers. The planet’s lost then. Fortunately for Zulaire, the advance team usually needs a year or two, Terra Standard, to create enough chaos.”

  “When do we leave here?” Andi rubbed her arms as the night chill sank in. “This place makes me jumpy. Anxious.”

  “Mitch. How much longer to rig the cargo hauler and the car?” Tom’s voice carried across the din of the service area.

  Waving a grav wrench, the sergeant didn’t even look up. “Two hours max, sir.”

  “Okay. I want to hit the transportway before dawn, if we can.” Not waiting for the sergeant’s answering nod, Tom turned back to Andi and Rahuna.

  “And we’re just driving directly home?” Andi drew a straight line in the air with her hand.

  “Right. It’s about four hundred miles, so I figure maybe a shade under t
wo hours, if we’re lucky and don’t run into any roadblocks or renegades. There’s no cover between here and the capital—it’s pretty much a flat plain. Well, you two know.”

  “Why not stay here until night falls again and make our run under cover of darkness?” Rahuna asked.

  “We’re still too close to the village where Andi was held prisoner,” Tom said. “Iraku will be missed and once someone goes to look for him and the weapons, it’ll be simple to figure out where we went with the cargo hauler. Our obvious destination would have to be the capital. Any commander with any sense at all would check for us here since South Amri is the only rest stop or building along the route.”

  “And not defensible,” Andi clarified, earning a nod from Tom.

  Smoothing his robes, Rahuna stood away from the wall. “I’d better get back inside to check on Lysanda and Sadu. She’ll be terrified if she awakes alone. Are you coming, Andi?”

  She shook her head. Those familiar butterflies were back in her stomach, making her queasy. Being outside in the open, near the soldiers with weapons, soothed her anxiety. The fresh night air was bracing. Proximity to Tom was also high on her list of must-haves. “I’ll just sit here out of the way and watch.”

  Rahuna nodded and strode away, the long skirts of his robe flapping around his legs.

  Tom watched the cleric for a moment, then glanced at Andi. “I’ve got to get back to work—we’re running out of time.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.

  He kissed her. “Not even if you were an expert mechanic. I need you rested and ready to drive. But I appreciate the offer.” He walked to the cargo hauler, grabbing a load of tools from a cart as he went, then disappeared behind the hulking vehicle.

  Jittery, Andi leaned her head against the wall to get more comfortable, closing her eyes against the glare of the work lamps. The clamor of men at work became white noise around her, almost soothing, and she drifted off to sleep.

  ***

  A loud bang startled her awake, to the cold sensation of tendrils drooping over her arms and legs. Andi jumped off the crate, eyes wide open, her fists clenched, heart racing. “Tom!” She started frantically rubbing at her arms, even though she could see there were no tentacles grabbing at her.

  He sprinted from wherever he’d been, followed by Mitch. Catching her in his arms, Tom captured her hands to halt the desperate arm-rubbing. The sergeant hovered nearby. Rogers slid out from under the cargo hauler, and Latvik leaned around the side, blaster in his good hand, to see what the fuss was about.

  “I’m sorry if we woke you. We just sealed the hauler’s engine compartment. Was the noise what startled you?” Running his hands up and down her arms, Tom tried to examine her as she cringed, shuddering against him.

  Unable to quell the trembling, she buried her face against his chest. “I couldn’t breathe,” Andi said. “I felt like there were tentacles wrapping around me, squeezing the life out of me. The Betang was invading my mind like at the river village. It has to be somewhere close to us. We’ve got to get out of here or we’ll die.”

  “Andi, you were asleep, you were probably dreaming—”

  Impatiently she shoved away from him. “No, this happened after I woke. The Betang’s touch is unmistakable. Trust me. We’re out of time. The enemy knows where I am, and it’s on the road to us.” Unable to sit still, needing to be in motion, she started pacing back and forth, wringing her hands.

  Tom swung into action, raising his voice and snapping out commands. “Okay, we move now, people. Rogers, get Rahuna and the others, and don’t forget Abukawal on the roof.” Turning to Andi, taking her by the elbow, he steered her toward Gul’s car. “Come on, let’s get you situated. Mitch, she’ll need the next medinject so she can drive.” He scrutinized her face. “Can you handle driving, sweetheart? Is the Betang touch still there?”

  Trying to calm her nerves, Andi breathed in deeply, one hand on her chest. She shook her head. “No.”

  He beckoned to the sergeant. “Double-time it with that inject, damn it.”

  As Mitch gave Andi yet another one of his endless supply of drugs, Rahuna and Abukawal rushed around the end of the restaurant building, the cleric carrying a drowsy Sadu, the Shenti warrior towing a vacant-eyed Lysanda.

  Waving the newcomers toward the cargo hauler, Tom pulled Andi toward the car. She had to wait while Rogers squeezed himself into the back. He’d have to ride in a half-crouching position, so he could work the weapon rigged on a crude turntable in the rear of the much-revamped speedster.

  Handing Andi into the driver’s seat, Tom shut the door. “Start the motor and be ready.” He ran over to the cargo hauler to confer with Mitch and Abukawal.

  Once she got the car’s engine idling, she craned awkwardly to check on Rogers. “Will you be okay back there for two hours?” She eyed the very small space and the gigantic gun. The soldier was built on the husky side.

  “I’ll be fine, thanks. I’ll sure be glad to get back to the city, ma’am.” Rogers was shoving extra charge capsules into the side of the weapon, feeding them into the magazine. “This has been one hell of a patrol.” Pausing for a second, he flashed a crooked smile. “Wish we had the APC instead of an old truck, though.”

  “You and me both.” I’d also like a clear road back to the capital, please. The trip so far had been nerve-racking and often terrifying, but the idea of driving on the center line of the transportway, visible to any pursuers, gave Andi the shakes. But there were no other viable routes left to them.

  Tom opened the passenger door and jumped in, slamming the door shut. “Let’s go. Accelerate when you hit the on-ramp. The truck will follow.”

  Automatically, she reached for the controls, then had a second thought. “Should I use the lights?”

  He checked the sky above. “Can you manage with just the moonlight?”

  She nodded.

  “All right, no lights then,” Tom said. “Now punch it.”

  Doing as she was told, revving the engine, Andi wasted no time. Her passengers were both jolted back by her rapid acceleration out of the yard. At the controls of this fast groundcar, she felt good, more in charge of her own fate.

  “Don’t get too far ahead of Mitch.” Tom checked behind to see how the cargo hauler fared. “We worked on the truck for hours. I guarantee it’s never been so babied in its life span, but the thing’s still a damn mud crawler compared to this beauty.”

  “Can’t get eight people in here, sir,” Rogers said.

  “Not if they’re all as big as you, soldier.” Tom laughed.

  Andi found a speed at which she wouldn’t pull too far ahead of the massive truck and set the cruise control. I just want to push the engine to the manufacturer’s limit and then some. Mitch could never keep up, though. She eyed the readouts, checking the fuel levels before her gaze drifted to the badly dented com console. “Do you think the com will work after you beat it up? Maybe someone else is on duty, someone with more sense.”

  Tom’s smile was sheepish.

  Probably regretting that earlier loss of control.

  “We can try,” he said. “For as many credits as Tonkiln spent on this car, it should be able to take abuse and still function.” He checked the time. “Shift change would’ve been a little while ago. Here goes nothing.” Activating the com, he reset to the military frequency and the unit produced a reassuring hum. “Patrol KJ123, calling Command.” Tom repeated the call sign twice before a powerful return broadcast cut across his words.

  “Captain Deverane, it is so good to hear from you. Give us your coordinates, and we’ll send an extraction team. Is Miss Markriss with you?”

  Quietly, Tom thumbed the comlink closed.

  Surprised and annoyed, Andi stared at him, not the road, for a second. “Why didn’t you answer him, tell him where we are?”

  “Because it wasn’t Sectors Command on the link. The Betang like to play tricks. You were right. They must be close to come in so clear. Damn, I wish the
truck could go faster.” Tom twisted in his seat to stare behind them at the cargo hauler. “Accelerate a bit. Let’s see if Mitch can coax anymore out of the old girl.”

  But when Andi sped up by a few more miles per hour, she drew away from their companion vehicle.

  “Never mind, slow down, come even with them on the passenger side,” Tom said. “I need to talk to Mitch.”

  “I’ll try.” Slow down? Andi concentrated on her driving for the next few minutes. The entire transportway stretched eerily empty on both sides, except for their two vehicles. The last medinject had numbed the blaster sear, leaving her calm and loose but clear headed. How long do I have before the effect wears off? Mitch said he couldn’t give me anymore for forty-eight hours. Remembering the crippling pain she’d been suffering, she blew her breath out through her teeth. Make me an addict—I don’t care! I’ll detox later.

  Tom leaned across her, shouting out the window at Mitch across the nerve-rackingly small gap between the two vehicles as they barreled down the transportway. “The Betang tried to decoy us into giving away our position on the com a few minutes ago. I figure they must be following us.”

  Mitch grimaced, keeping his eyes on the road. “Not too hard to guess where we’re headed.”

  Tom jerked his thumb over his shoulder to the rear. “We’ll drop back and see if anyone’s coming. You keep going as fast as the hunk of junk will motor, okay?”

  “Got it, sir. Good hunting.” Mitch waved as Andi slowed even further and fell behind the cargo hauler, looping the car around in a big U-turn to return the way she’d come. She had to grit her teeth to make herself drive into the possible pursuit. Her hands were shaking on the wheel, so she tightened her grip till her knuckles went white.

  Tom reached over and pried one of her hands loose from the wheel, rubbing it softly. “Take us five miles in this direction.” He looked at her face, eyes narrowed. “You’re doing a great job.”