Star Fire

by Buffi BeCraft

  The creature laid its rounded ears against its head and hissed at him.

  “Will you stop? You’re scaring her.” Sasha returned to cooing at the thing. She dug out a nutrition bar that she had brought with her from the ship, and he wondered if she was going to save him the trouble and poison the overgrown rodent. “See, good weaselen. See the cookie?”

  “Cookie?” Kiev held his sword ready to lop off its nose. ”What is a weaselen?”

  Sasha rolled her eyes. “What else would you call a giant weasel?”

  He refrained from asking what a weasel was. Obviously, the woman delighted in taunting him. The creature snatched the unwrapped bar away from her, hunched over, and turned the shiny bar over and over before stuffing it in a pouch in its belly. Its ears perked forward and it accepted another bar, its eyes widening as Sasha unwrapped this one. With barely a sniff, it ate the bar and filched the shiny wrapper, depositing the trash in its pocket.

  “Come on.” Sasha ducked under his arm and touched the thing’s nose.

  Kiev and the striped creature locked gazes. It curled a lip at him and he growled back.

  All the while, Sasha rubbed the side of the creature’s head. “Slinky’s harmless. Someone’s taken a lot of time to domesticate you, haven’t they?” She glanced at Kiev. “I wonder where they are?”

  That was a question he’d like the answer to, as well.

  * * * *

  An hour later, Kiev was debating the definition of ‘harmless’ in terms of Sasha’s new pet, Slinky. The damned thing darted all over the place, leaving them and reappearing, only to ‘accidentally’ trip him or attempt to steal his sword. Kiev growled at the creature and received a glare from Sasha.

  “How long until we reach the doomsday device?” he asked, aware that he was sounding a lot like Radan after one of his nephew’s adventures gone awry.

  Sasha pulled out a small electronic device and slid it out of its sleeve. She’d consulted it several times and he’d deemed it alien technology. “As I remember things, we should be pretty close. I have the area mapped out on my day planner as it is now, but couldn’t find a way to interface with the ship’s computer to overlay it with the ancient one.” She took in their surroundings again. Rock and worn remains of a destroyed civilisation surrounded them. “This is going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

  Her examples rarely made sense and she was having entirely too much fun devilling him when he tried to understand. It wasn’t something his Tasha would have done.

  Slinky hunkered over and around a pile of rock, her pointed muzzle testing the wind. She made a chirping sound and slipped off into the rubble.

  Kiev debated the safety of staying out in the open, staring up at the pretty blue disc of his home word. What had it been like for the Atmosans to stare up at that disc and plot Aros’ destruction? He frowned, thinking of what it would have taken to redirect the magnetic currents between their planets.

  “That’s it.” Why hadn’t it occurred to him before? He whirled, grabbing Sasha. Excited, he kissed her several times, punctuating each one with a laugh. “That’s it!”

  “What’s it?” She held her little device to her sweet breast. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes shone with the same excitement. “Well?”

  Kiev let go and pointed to Aros. “The magnetic currents.” He held both his fists apart. “Aros and Atmos affect each other’s natural magnetic fields. In the natural order of things, they pull each other’s ocean tides. Find a way to imbalance, or make the pull too strong and…” He wobbled his left fist. Revelation lit his eyes. “Everything is out of control. Hurricanes, tornadoes, tectonic plates getting shuffled around.”

  She nodded in agreement, her eyebrows raised in a question.

  “So, follow the magnetic currents.”

  “Yes, like bread crumbs.” She began tapping on the screen of her device, her face animated. The expression reminded him of sex. He remembered the little noises of excitement, the same ones she’d made just hours ago, fired his blood. Then again, everything she did reminded him of sex. Sasha grinned then whirled to dash between two boulders. “Let’s go find us a gingerbread house.”

  Whatever the phrase really meant, he didn’t care. The thrill of adventure dangled in front of him. Kiev laughed and ran after her. Perhaps when he caught her, there would be time for a more personal escapade.

  * * * *

  Sasha couldn’t believe finding the device would be so easy. All she had to do was find the ‘off’ magnetic pattern. Her day-planner, an OrganizerUltra 4000, had over a million preloaded apps. She could have kissed the geek that came up with UrVerse MagMaps.

  It was one of those tools that was sort of interesting for vacationers who wanted to see the diverse magnetic currents of the planets they were visiting. The app was also useful in determining a likely location for an emergency landing. But a ship’s computer did those calculations far more accurately, so what was the point?

  After her first lemming-like dash towards the co-ordinates, she paused. The same thrill lit Kiev’s eyes, but he too adopted a much more wary approach. Sasha scanned the tall hulls and toppled rubble of ancient concrete buildings. The fading light cast dark shadows in their path and Sasha could imagine all sorts of creatures hiding in the maze. They attached light discs to each of their shoulders, illuminating a wide enough swath to keep going. Sasha worried about giving their position away to potential enemies

  Occasionally, the shadows and shining eyes turned into Slinky, who brought Sasha another prize stick or feather. Kiev finally stopped drawing his sword every time their new friend popped in. Their simple, almost medieval actions eased a smile to her face, lightening her burden with honesty.

  On the other hand, she could still see the bustling city, similar in construction to Earth circa the twenty-first century. What would these two planets have been able to accomplish, had their governments not been waging a secret war? Her heart hurt at the waste. Could she, when she’d been Tasha, have averted the conflict? What had she missed?

  Sasha redefined the search for less range on her day-planner and turned to follow the signal. Kiev touched her shoulder. ”We need to stop for the night.” He looked around, nose wrinkling. “But not here. Whatever died can have this spot.”

  Slinky chirruped, apparently in agreement. She shimmied off her rock and sat up, ears pricked forward. With a couple of excited squeaks, she darted a few steps then craned her neck back, fixing her beady eyes on them. She flicked her tail.

  “I think she wants us to follow her,” Sasha told Kiev.

  He frowned, laying a hand on her, keeping her still. Sasha noticed that he was becoming pretty touchy-feely—another interesting Kiev fact. “Do you hear the others?”

  She nodded. More of the squirren chatter echoed around them. Despite teasing him earlier, she was aware that the creatures came in different types, much like Earth dogs.

  Slinky dived into the shadows, making a lot of rustling noise, then emerged to spit yet another object at Sasha’s feet. Around her, the rotten stench of death made her eyes water. She squatted, discovering the object was a basket. It was obviously hand woven, and a lot of time and detail had gone into painting the outside with natural pigments. Standing, Sasha unclipped the light from her shoulder, very aware of Kiev’s tall and muscular warrior’s body at her back. His presence gave her a feeling of sorely needed security.

  The metallic slide of his sword as he pulled it free hissed in the night. Then he pressed something cold and cylindrical into her hand. “Aerosol propelled chemical defence, derived from Heta pepper. Fit your finger over the deep groove on the top and don’t spray it in your face or mine.” The shape of the bottle and trigger indicated the proper direction. Distantly, she recalled that the heta was the hottest known pepper plant on Aros. She glanced up at his intense features. Alien pepper spray. Clever.

  The darkness settled round them like a shroud save for the light discs. Easing forward, she shone the light inside. In her othe
r hand, she gripped the pepper spray. Sasha’s surveillance led her to a couple more baskets, those with lids fastened. Against the far wall was a tidy pallet made of woven grass and animal hide. Kiev pulled her to his side with a light touch.

  He indicted with his head that they should go. Sasha agreed. She couldn’t wait to leave. Being captain of a trade ship wasn’t without its own dangers, but this skulking around in creepy ruins made her jumpy. Charting Atmos had been all about scanning for life forms and likely places for intelligent life to create settlements. She suppressed a shudder. This was like teenagers daring one another to spend the night in a graveyard.

  They walked together in the middle of the path, the stench overpowering in the silence. She wanted to gag, stopping the reflex by sheer force of will. She was a trader ship captain—she’d seen some of the worst that humanity and aliens did to one another in the name of civilisation. Slinky, for a change, stayed right behind them instead of running off into the maze.

  A shadow caught the corner of her eye. Sasha slowed, pulling away from Kiev’s quiet urge to continue. She swallowed hard and forced herself to finish the exploration. The odd-shaped shadow turned into a leather-wrapped foot. Again, Sasha pulled away from Kiev.

  Illuminated in the space between the strewn building remains, Sasha counted three bodies. “There’s more,” she whispered.

  “And nothing we can do for them.” Kiev switched off his light and reached out, pressing the tiny button on hers. Real darkness surrounded them. He turned and placed one hand on Slinky’s coat. For the first time, his voice lowered into gentle tones when talking to the creature. “It’s time to leave.”

  In the faint light, she watched him grab two handfuls of fur and pull himself up onto the squirren’s shoulders. Slinky held herself still, her body language showing that Kiev was not her first rider. He held out a hand, barely illuminated in the bluish light of Aros. “Come.”

  Slinky’s eyes glowed as she watched the dead, then Sasha. Who knew how much the animal understood? With a small purr, the animal nudged Sasha towards her fur-covered side. Finally, Sasha took Kiev’s outstretched hand and pulled herself up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

  “Harruph! Slinky, let’s go.”

  The long-bodied creature took off in a lope as slinky as her name. Sasha buried her face in Kiev’s back, inhaling his male scent to clear her nose. Yeah. She’d seen a lot of bad in her time as a trader captain and this wasn’t the first time she’d stumbled on the aftermath of an execution.

  “Sasha, it is time to leave this place.”

  Damn, it was time for her to go home.

  Chapter Five

  Julian Horoscope, day forty-three—

  It’s good to live in the moment. Relish life. Just don’t forget the future.

  You can catch more with honey than vinegar.

  Sasha woke with a start. Sitting up, she rubbed at her face, marvelling that in the space of two days, she hadn’t had any coffee or any caffeine withdrawal—but then, stimulants had never done much for her anyway. The small, cold camp they’d made was as far from the dead natives as Sasha could allow and still be within range of the signal origin that her day planner was pointing to. Checking out their little camp, she half expected Kiev to still be asleep.

  He moved into view, holding out one of the travel mugs she’d taken from the ship. The smell of tea and barely remembered scents teased her nose. “Here. You might need the boost for whatever comes today.”

  Sasha accepted, inhaling the small waft of escaping steam before taking a tentative sip. Dark, rich, spiced tea, similar to that on Earth, reminded her of Christmases at home with her mother. At the same time, she remembered Tasha starting each day with a cup. Obviously, the brew was made from a different plant, but the result was eerily similar. Homesickness from both ends of the spectrum put lead in her chest as she mumbled thanks.

  Kiev wasn’t even watching her. He stood as ready as any military-trained man she’d ever seen, eyes never tracking the same place for long. Apparently, last night’s little discovery had hit home on all fronts that this wasn’t a game. Sasha had thought she was serious until seeing those bodies. Not that she’d thought for even a moment that she was playing a game.

  She frowned, watching Slinky gnaw on a stick, and thought over everything that had happened since she’d discovered her betrayal. She mulled over those poor natives, with their swollen features and scrambled brains, gunned down by a cheap sonic wave blaster and left to slowly die. Her situation sunk in, wiping away the lingering surreal emotions from her death and the merging of two different psyches. No, this wasn’t a game, and whoever had control of the machine was very, very dangerous.

  “Ready?”

  Blinking away her distracted musings, she met his eyes. Sasha smiled and drained the last of the tea. After last night, she had no stomach for the nutrition bar. Without anything to wipe out the cup, she stored it in her pack as it was. “How did you get hot tea without a fire?”

  Kiev gave her the wide-eyed look of someone who is totally innocent as he climbed onto the squirren. He held out a hand. “Magic. How else?”

  “Magic.” She shook her head, thinking the cup itself had probably warmed the beverage. “I hope you have an ample supply, because that machine didn’t turn itself on.”

  “And those natives weren’t killed by anything native to this planet.” His observation ended their exchange.

  Sasha pulled out her day-planner, checked the heading, and pointed their direction. She grimaced. Oh, joy. More ruins for the day.

  “Harrumph!” Kiev said and Slinky jumped and darted away.

  * * * *

  “It’s here, somewhere.” Sasha checked the day-planner again. They’d been circling the same area, weaving in and out of ancient tangled metal building supports and chunks of crumbled concrete, for an hour. Frustration bit at her heels. “Damn it. What am I missing?”

  Kiev said nothing, focusing on their surroundings. Besides, his answer to the same question three times earlier had been a shrug. She was glad to know body language was consistent throughout the known universe.

  According to Sasha’s readings, they were right on top of the magnetic disturbance origin. Sliding the day-planner into her pack, she swung her leg behind and around, sliding off the squirren. “I’m going to search over here.” She walked to the tumbled pile she’d dismissed earlier and climbed up one sloping side.

  She wanted to laugh. ”Well, now I feel stupid.” The rubble made a natural staircase down to a cave made from more of the rubble.

  With very little sound, Kiev climbed up. He frowned as he studied the small rock enclosure. “That does not look safe.” He jumped down first, sword ready, while Sasha took her time on the stairs. He bent, fingers hovering over the sandy ground in front of the cave. “We are not the first ones here.”

  “So, now what?”

  Kiev shook his head, a confident smile playing around his mouth. “This is your quest, Star Fire.”

  She nodded, a case of nerves making her uncertain. Sasha licked her lips, very aware of his big, protective body. Not an ounce of extra fat on him anywhere. “You know, you never told me how you could just drop everything to follow me to another planet.” She toyed with the idea of taking the knife out to protect herself. Sasha was better trained in laser warfare, but Hobbs had made sure she didn’t have a decent weapon on the planet. She palmed the pepper spray, hoping Kiev was a much better scientist than he was a poet.

  “My second, Morgen is an excellent warrior. He deserves the honour that serving as the Wise Woman’s head guardian will bring. Lala has always understood that my position as head guard was not my true life path.” Real affection glowed in his eyes for the older woman. “The revelation took me a bit longer to accept.”

  Sasha blinked. “You just quit? As in, adios amigos? Hasta la vista, baby?” Some cultural references never went out of style. Sasha remembered many a night she and her mom had sat up watching ancient vids dating
back to the beginning of the film industry.

  Those early science fiction shows had spurred her to sign on with the Northern Star Trading Company as a cargo grunt. She’d worked her way up from loading and unloading cargo to charting, eventually stepping in to the captain’s position when the old fart had had a heart attack and fallen down the temple steps of Migard while negotiating for spiced rum.

  Then again, it might not have been a heart attack. The old fool could have been drunk off his gourd and fallen down all six hundred and twenty-seven steps. The Migard priests had been so delighted with the sacrifice they’d practically given the rum to Sasha.

  “Hasta what?” Kiev asked.

  She shook her head, waving his question away. “You quit? Why?”

  He stepped past her to study the metal door several metres inside the cave. Above them, Slinky chattered to them, circling the top of the rubble. “You are stalling. Choose, Star Fire. Go inside or return to Aros.”

  “What if I just want to take the ship and go home?” She was being a bitch—she knew it. She gritted her teeth. “We both know the crystal generator on board has plenty of power. Hell, I’d never have to work again if I sold that tech to the company that I captain for. The kith might even pay triple that and throw in a couple of boy-toys to seal the deal.”

  He raised one eyebrow and waited patiently.

  Sasha blew out a breath. “Fine. Let’s get this done.” She moved to go in, but he was quicker, blocking the door with his big body. He opened it easily enough and paused just over the threshold. Sasha presumed so that his eyes could adjust. Inside, she did the same.

  The darkness was almost complete once she shut the door—no sense in advertising their presence more than they had already. The metal landing under their feet was in good shape. Sasha wondered at the metal and workmanship that had gone into it. Had the landing been here all this time? She laid a hand on the rail, right behind Kiev as he went down the steps. The man was light on his feet, surefooted now where the scientist Dirrel would have been a nervous wreck.