“You’re going to Gd4? Thank the gods!” I shot to my feet. “I’ll come with you.”
“You will not!” His tone was as sharp as the crack of a whip.
I’d been about to throw my arms around him, but I stopped dead in my tracks. “Please, Joran, take me with you. I can help. I know how to fight wild beasts.”
“You will remain here,” he barked. “I do not have time right now to deal with your disrespect, your insubordination, your…” He shook his head wearily, and the litany of my sins trailed off. “When I return, you will present yourself for punishment. It will be long and harsh, as befits your unacceptable behavior.”
He headed for the doorway then turned. “By the way, your tirade had nothing to do with my decision. I made up my mind to go the moment I saw the hologram.” He went on, sounding more sad than angry. “I thought we were learning to trust each other, Shee-ah. But you judged me and found me guilty—before I ever had a chance to speak.”
Chapter Fourteen
Joran
I had begun to trust. Certainly, I knew she had not completely submitted but hoped that, as long as she walked the path, used the words, she might see the wisdom of our culture. I would lay down my life for any of my people, even more for my female and one day our children. And even for those whose sentience had never been established but who were at the mercy of those they could not hope to win against.
If only someone had been there to step in for Arythios, the story of our world might have ended differently. Or not ended anytime soon. But the Rydek had chosen a time to attack when the majority of those who provided defense were far from home.
I’d never really considered that factor—did they have information? A source on world, perhaps even among our leadership? But pursuing that, if it was even possible, would have to wait. At this time, we were responding to the torment of innocent beings by something even worse than the Rydek themselves. If they could create murderous mutants, they could spread their destruction even wider.
Our people had been killed quickly, the planet left uninhabitable. The happenings on Gd4 were another huge piece of the puzzle. This planet was not suitable for Arythians, or Humans, but was it someplace the Rydek could occupy? Did it meet their needs? Because as far as we could tell, only living beings were being harmed. And only the carbella, it seemed. Perhaps it would be an ideal base—something we could not allow to happen.
Leaving my second-in-command in charge, I strapped into the shuttle and, as soon as the bay was isolated the depressurized, soared off toward Gd4. We had indeed been close to the planet, but close in space terms so the mutants had probably killed many more of the carbella by now—unless they had somewhere to hole up. I led the charge, but in addition to our four vessels, manned by only one warrior each, the solport, under the command of my colleague Mantsk, was headed this way. If we could hold the mutants at bay, they had enough warriors aboard to help finish the battle.
If only.
Admiral Dylos had approved our mission. It wasn’t our primary, but let it never be said an Arythian warrior allows the defenseless to be murdered on our watch.
As I hurtled toward the heavily forested world, clouds swirled across the surface. It was beautiful, and became more so the closer I came. What a shame we couldn’t share it with the carbellas.
Of course, after their current guests, they probably wouldn’t welcome more. Adjusting the controls for approach, I thought back on the last words I exchanged with Shee-ah. Could she have come along and been helpful? Probably. She was indeed a warrior. But precious in her femininity as well. She had a job to do, to bear children for our people. I couldn’t risk her. Plus, I couldn’t take a chance that she would defy me under fire.
Trust. I thought we had the beginnings of it between us, but perhaps I’d been mistaken. Perhaps it was not possible in our situation. I hadn’t expected true love, in fact had only ever heard of such things in some ancient tales told to children. Marriage was practical, a way to care for our females so they could birth our young and raise them without fear. Without loss.
And how had that worked out?
But philosophizing on our culture and its flaws would have to wait for another day if all went well. If it did not, I would be dead and someone else could consider it. The ship seemed to push through the humid air as I skimmed the dense canopy of treetops heading for an open space to land. There weren’t many, and it was fortunate that one existed close enough to the location we needed to land. My men were landing in similar fields. As I closed in, I realized it was a field of orange-topped grain waving in the breeze. The carbellas were going to have to do without their crop, and I regretted the loss for them, but in this part of their world, there were few places where we could set down.
They would have to accept our apologies and, if we did our jobs, the gift of their lives. Another crop could always be grown, and we did have foodstuffs on the ship we could bring, at least some. Those crackers we stockpiled sprang to mind.
I tore through the crop, amazed to find the heads were at least three times as tall as an Arythian warrior. Everything grew tall here. We had communicated before leaving the ship, so it was just a matter of a few quick words before we set out. The sooner we got under cover, the better, since we had no idea what if any observation the planet was under from the Rydek.
It was indeed hot. So hot the jungle floor steamed and the air, while breathable, was not pleasant. Masks would have helped but also would have impeded our vision, so we’d decided to do without. We weren’t going to be here long. Mantsk’s warriors would clean up, but we had to keep the carbellas and ourselves alive long enough for that to happen.
“Do you see anything moving?” I asked over the headset, receiving negative responses.
“It’s too quiet,” Vank, a decorated warrior grunted. “I don’t like it.”
“Move slowly and pay attention.”
The stink was almost unbearable, but I continued on, trying to avoid pools of rank liquid and the crack of branches and leaves underfoot. Fortunately, most of the debris was soggy. Unfortunately, it was disgustingly soggy, and I sank to my ankles in places despite avoiding the actual liquid.
I moved around a fallen log swarming with grubs of a brownish black color. They seemed to have their own unpleasant smell. The carbellas must have an entirely different olfactory system to withstand the constant assault on the senses. A rustle in the canopy overhead caught my attention, but when I looked up, I saw no birds, nothing to have made that happen. The video had taken place in this area, but I saw nothing, no dead carbellas, not mutants, but that had to be wrong. I continued on, deeper into the jungle.
The undergrowth was thicker now, vines catching my legs almost as if they were deciding to do so. It was harder to spot the liquid pools, and I stumbled into one. Although my suit and boots were virtually impermeable, the droplets clung where they landed, steaming. Could they work their way through?
And what would they do if they did? Burn probably. At the least.
Then, as I was almost ready to believe the video false, I came upon an animal carcass. It stank, but what didn’t here? I paused, considering examining it before moving on. Whatever it was had been dead for a while. Ahead, I saw the first beautiful thing, aside from the trees themselves, I’d run across on this planet.
A bright-red flower bobbed on a long stem. Its petals looked soft and inviting. As I drew closer, the sweet scent wafting from it beckoned me on. I imagined what Shee-ah would say if I brought her such a bloom. Trust. That echoed in my mind. If we didn’t trust one another we were in for one hell of a long and miserable life. Terrans often gave one another flowers, I’d heard, to show affection. In that way we were very similar people. My hand was extended to pick the flower, when I heard them.
Their massive hooves thumped the ground, shaking it before I could see them. I gripped my photon blaster and fired as the first of the massive mutants charged me. It dropped, just short of having run me down. The second took my
shot through the forehead, but it was so close it slammed into me. My blaster went flying, and I landed in another of those damned pools before reaching for another weapon, this one with twice the power but less precision.
Precision was not the most important quality here. Bigger blasts, more force, those were the things I needed.
But as I scrambled to my feet, I saw no more of the creatures. Where were they. “Report in,” I called into my microphone. “I have engaged the enemy.”
I got no response…
I tried again.
And again.
It could be that my equipment had been damaged in my fall, but equally possible something had happened to my men. I cursed before starting out again, looking around me, listening, and, yes, praying. I took another few steps before realizing that something was wrong with my leg and I stumbled and fell.
If I never saw Shee-ah again, I could only hope that she remembered me with some level of kindness. She was not with child yet. If I did not return, she would become someone else’s property.
With a roar, I stood again. My leg hurt. Badly. But the controls of the suit allowed me to provide extra support, and I was able to move through the pain. I was an Arythian warrior and nobody was taking my female. Nobody else would fuck her, touch her…go close to her without my permission. I would take down the mutants and return to her, and then we would have a long talk, starting with the punishment she’d earned and ending with an understanding between us.
All I had to do was survive.
Chapter Fifteen
Xia
Joran made his way through the jungle. Silent, stealthy. I scanned the dense undergrowth around him for any sign of the zhu bajie.
Although, by the time I warned him of their presence, it would likely be too late. Though I was right there at his side, seeing everything he saw, hearing what he heard, it was through a VR headset.
***
After he refused to let me leave the starship, I’d paced the floor in our quarters, raging out loud.
“Just like a man! Stubborn, pig-headed. Insists on going off to fight the zhu bajie without me. What does he know about fighting wild beasts? I grew up with them. But no, he has to be the hero. Fine, go get yourself eaten! What do I care—you’re just a big dumb alien!”
I slammed the palm of my hand against the wall. To my shock it started to disintegrate. I’d assumed Joran would disengage my ability to control the door. Either he’d been so angry he forgot, or this was another test of my obedience.
“Screw obedience,” I muttered, and stormed out of the room with no real plan in mind. All I knew was that I’d be damned if I’d let him treat me like some helpless submissive female.
I sprinted to the transport bay. When I got there, Joran and three other warriors had their heads together. I didn’t recognize any of the others because all of them were dressed in the same metallic suits as Joran—apparently, some kind of high-tech battle armor. Four carriers stood ready to depart, identical except for a symbol on the side of one of the ships. It was the same geometric shape tattooed on Joran’s bicep. I didn’t see any other warriors around, so it looked like he’d planned a small mission, with one man to a vessel. The fact he’d taken my advice but refused to include me pissed me off even more.
While their backs were to me, I sneaked onto Joran’s vessel. I remembered the layout of the transport carriers, since I’d studied the one I was on during my trip from the solport. There were twin chairs in the cockpit and seating for another six behind it. A door separated the passenger area from a cargo bay.
I peeked in the cargo bay. Half empty, it held only enough supplies to support a small crew out on a routine mission for a couple of weeks or so. Betting he’d have no reason to search the cargo bay before he left, I picked a spot out of sight behind a stack of water crates. I hunkered down, taking advantage of the straps attached to the walls to hold cargo in place, and belted myself in.
I regretted my decision the moment we took off. The cargo bay wasn’t meant for comfort. The force of acceleration slammed me against the hard metal wall and the air inside turned ice-cold. I knew I wasn’t in danger of freezing to death, since the bay would be heated enough to keep the water from freezing completely and expanding to break the crates. Luckily, the trip to Gd4 wouldn’t be long.
My teeth were chattering, and my hands and feet were numb by the time I felt the ship slowing as it entered G4d’s atmosphere. I knew from my time in the command center that the air quality on the planet wasn’t adequate to sustain human or Arythian life for a protracted length of time, and the temperature was hotter than that on Earth. Lieutenant Zarak said scientists on the solport had surveyed all the planets in the Gylon system in their search for a new home and ruled them out.
The moment we landed, the temperature in the bay began to rise. I rubbed my hands and feet until the painful tingling told me blood flow was restored, then unbuckled the straps and crept to the door. A loud whoosh from the airlock indicated Joran was out and on the move.
I slid into one of the cockpit seats and picked up the VR headset. Though the technology was far beyond anything we on Earth possessed, I’d learned to operate the equipment as part of my training and knew I could track Joran’s progress.
The moment I slipped it on, the walls of the jungle closed in around me. I could feel the oppressive heat, smell the fetid odor of decaying foliage underfoot. I closed my eyes and allowed the sounds, the smells to carry me back to my origins. The years slipped away, and when I opened my eyes again, I was that child in the wilderness. Surviving by instinct.
I moved to Joran’s side, scanning the surrounding area, letting my senses flood me with information. A swarm of insects buzzed somewhere on my left. The image of a rotting animal corpse popped into my head, and I remembered puking the first time I stumbled onto one. Disgusting…and possibly dangerous, little Xia whispered. Stay away. She’d learned a dead beast attracted carnivores as well as insects. Ahead, a bright-red flower gave off a cloying sweet scent. Poison, my inner child said. Don’t pick it. She knew things that were pretty usually had built-in defenses.
I had no idea where the other warriors were. They must have split up and landed in other areas, hoping to cover more ground. Joran moved on, his head swiveling from side to side with each step. The fool. Did he think he could track the beasts using only one of his senses?
I backed away from him. Stood still. And felt the zhu-bajie before I saw them. Hot breath, stinking of dead meat, carried on the faint breeze. The thump of hooves moving fast vibrated through me as surely as if the soles of my feet were planted there on the ground. Joran whirled, but the first one was already upon him. I screamed a warning that echoed off the walls of the ship, forgetting for an instant that he couldn’t hear me.
In one smooth move, he fired. The beast fell to the ground, inches away from his feet. Another followed on the heels of the first. Joran shot it in the head, but momentum carried it forward. The massive body hit him, knocking the blaster from his hand.
He grabbed another weapon from his belt and whirled around, searching for the next attacker. But the zhu-bajie had retreated.
I knew they’d be back. I’d seen their style of hunting before. When they tracked down a creature alone in the wilderness, the pack sent a couple of scouts after it. Eager young males, expendable. The others would hang back and watch. If the first wave succeeded in bringing down their prey, the wily old hunters would be the first to feed on the kill. If they failed, a second wave would stealthily get into position then attack from all sides at once.
Joran couldn’t fight them all. I jumped to my feet and tore off the headset, then stopped. My captor will not survive. He and his warriors know how to do battle with other advanced beings. But they’ve never faced wild animals before. They don’t realize how intelligent their foes are. Capable of working together, just like a team of warriors. From what I’m seeing, I doubt if the others will leave this world alive either.
I’m at t
he controls of a starship. It’s stocked with enough provisions for ten warriors to survive for a month—or one lone passenger to travel far enough and long enough to find sanctuary. This is my chance. I can escape. I can be free.
Or…I can risk my life to save the life of an alien. An alien who punishes me. Orders me around and acts like he’s my master. Tells me to spread my legs for him…and then delays his own pleasure until I’m screaming in ecstasy. An alien who holds me tenderly in his arms afterwards, cuddles me when I have a bad dream, soothes me with lullabies. He’s never said he loves me. But he’s shown it again and again.
I knelt down and popped the latch on the spare weapons cache under the cockpit seats, tucked a dagger in my belt, and grabbed a pair of swords. Slamming the heel of my hand against the airlock button, I hit the ground before the door was fully open.
Chapter Sixteen
Joran
I still couldn’t reach my men, or anyone from Mantsk’s ship, leaving me two choices. Return to the shuttle and head back to the ship or go forward and try to complete the mission. There was no real decision to make. Even if I didn’t care about the carbellas, three of my men were somewhere out there as well. And I did care about the little humanoids. They actually were farming! Or trying to if off-worlders didn’t smash their crops. They were sentient. And this evidence should get them more protection from the Federation. Should being the operative word.
But it wouldn’t do any good if they were wiped off the face of Gd4.
By will and by help of my suit, I managed to push the pain of my injured leg to the back of my mind and avoid even a limp. I wasn’t very experienced in fighting animals, but with people you didn’t want to show weakness, so I felt comfortable in assuming it was never a good idea to do so.
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