by Speer, Flora
“They got us,” Halvo said. “Nicked our tail at the very last second. We almost made it.”
“Almost?” Perri cried. “No, we’ve won. We’re still alive, aren’t we?”
“Right.” Halvo’s smile held no humor. “Now all we have to do is reach Home with a ship that is slowly losing both its air pressure and its artificial-gravity system, not to mention the small detail of engines that aren’t functioning at full power.”
“Home?” Perri echoed, not ready yet to deal with the implications of Halvo’s other remarks.
“It’s what the colonists on Dulan’s Planet call their headquarters,” Halvo said.
“If we go there, assuming we are able to reach this Home,” Perri said, “we will draw the Regulans right to your brother’s doorstep. I cannot think he will be happy about the loss of concealment when secrecy is vital to his project.”
“While we are on this side of the moon, communication and sensor scanning from any ship on the other side is blocked out, making us as good as invisible to all three of those ships,” Rolli said. “I am certain you plan to use this situation to our advantage, Admiral.”
“I do,” Halvo said. “Right now, the Krontar is probably keeping both of the Regulan ships too busy for them to have time to pay much attention to us, which gives us a slim chance to reach the planet’s surface without being closely tracked – and that is our best hope of staying alive and free.”
“My knowledge of space flight is still sadly limited,” Perri said. “But from that one book I read, I learned that a vessel entering the atmosphere of a planet must do so at a precise angle in order to avoid being bounced out into space again or, alternately, being burned to a cinder.”
“That is exactly right.” Halvo cocked an eyebrow at her. “It is your life I am planning to risk, as well as my own, so you deserve a say in this decision. How do you vote?”
“Do it,” she said at once. “I trust you, if not the ship.”
His eyes held hers for a moment before he turned back to the controls.
It was a bumpy ride, and a hot one. The Space Dragon’s heat shield, which had been damaged along with other parts of the ship, began to burn away as they entered the planet’s atmosphere. They could all see on the viewscreens the resultant smoke, the debris tearing off the ship, and even a tongue or two of flame. The temperature inside the Space Dragon rose until Perri and Halvo were drenched in perspiration.
Perri was more terrified than at any other time since her adventures in space had first begun, but she would not let Halvo know it. Teeth clenched against a scream, shoulders rigid, she stayed at her post and obeyed Halvo’s terse orders though her clammy hands slipped on the buttons and her damp hair flopped into her eyes and had to be brushed away so she could see.
But the greater part of the heat shield did hold and Halvo’s piloting skills took them into the lower atmosphere. The last few loose pieces fell from the shield and the smoke disappeared.
Perri attempted to take a long breath, only to realize how thin and contaminated by foul odors the air in the cockpit was. Halvo, who was intent upon the controls and oblivious to all else, did not appear to notice the air was tainted, and of course, Rolli did not require clean air in order to function.
Considering everything that was wrong with the Space Dragon, Perri thought it remarkable that Halvo guided the ship to a safe landing. He used the nearly powerless ship as a glider, skimming over mile after mile of a wide ocean, keeping them in the air until Perri had located an island with a flat surface that was large enough to allow the ship to roll to a gradual stop in case the braking thrusters should fail. Which they did, after a short burst that slowed the Space Dragon’s velocity by only a little.
“You are the most amazing pilot!” Perri was almost in tears from relief when their forward motion finally halted.
“Unfortunately, we overshot our preferred landing spot by far too much,” Halvo said. “We are on the opposite side of the planet from where we want to be.”
“Perhaps that is not a bad thing.”
“Perri, you make me think you don’t want to meet my brother,” Halvo said.
“I think your brother will not want to meet our Regulan pursuers,” she said, deliberately neglecting to add that Halvo’s brother would not be happy to meet the woman who had abducted so important a family member.
“We are not likely to meet anyone unless we can make some major repairs,” Rolli said, breaking into the conversation. “If you will recall, Admiral, our communications system is not working.”
“The air is getting worse, too,” Perri said. “I have a headache.”
“Bad air is one problem I can easily fix.” Halvo went to the entrance hatch and pressed the release button. A moment later a fresh, warm breeze blew into the cockpit bringing with it the fragrance of exotic flowers mixed with a salty tang.
Unable to wait any longer to be free of the confines of the Space Dragon, Perri stepped outside. She looked around and then turned to Halvo, who was lifting Rolli out of the ship.
“This is a much nicer place than our last stop.” She spread her arms wide as if to embrace the entire planet. “Is that surf I hear?”
She knew – or thought she knew, for the navigational instruments had been increasingly un-dependable during the last hour – that Halvo had landed them on the upper left arm of an island shaped like the letter V. Perri stood in a narrow, sloping meadow that ended in an abrupt drop. The meadow was dotted with flowers in brilliant shades of clear yellow or blue or striped red and orange. A few dainty white blossoms were scattered here and there among the brighter colors. The wild grasses were intensely green. Off to the south was a dense forest, and beyond the trees on the southern horizon a line of high mountains reared upward, their tallest peaks capped with snow. On the other three sides of the meadow lay a purple-green sea. The sky was a blue so dark it was almost purple and the sun – the same star that had shone pure white when seen from space – was a glorious, warm orange and much larger than the Regulan sun.
“I want to see what is over the edge,” Perri said. She started forward, only to have Halvo catch her arm to stop her.
“Go slowly,” he said, “and carefully. We don’t know what – or who – is beyond that drop in the ground.”
“Then come with me.” Pulling away from him she continued across the meadow, following the downward slope of the land.
“Perri, come back,” Rolli said. “I must warn you that you are set upon a possibly hazardous course.”
“What harm can there be in walking across a meadow?” Perri said. “We have just escaped a fiery death. I want to relax for a few minutes.”
“She’s right,” Halvo said to the robot. “Happily for you, you are not capable of experiencing the fears that Perri and I have known over the last few hours. Humans need a chance to recuperate after coming so close to death.”
“Admiral, my programming compels me to protest. This is not the time for frivolity. The Space Dragon requires immediate repair.”
“The ship may not be reparable.”
Rolli had more to say to both Halvo and Perri on the subject of taking responsible action, but Perri was no longer paying attention. She was still alive when she had fully expected to be dead. Possessed by a sudden sense of complete freedom, she broke into a run and did not stop until she reached the edge of the meadow.
The gently sloping land ended in a cliff that was steep but only about six feet high. Below the cliff was a sandy white beach that curved around the northern end of the island. A short distance away a stream splashed over the cliff and across the beach. On the ocean side of the island, where the cliffs were much higher, waves roared onto the sand, great, foam-flecked curves of greenish water that slid back again into the sea, only to return with renewed force. The tip of land where Perri stood curved slightly inward, and beyond a wide bay of calmer water sheltered by the land she could see the mist-shrouded eastern arm of the island.
“I wouldn’t adv
ise you to swim here,” Halvo said, coming up behind her and catching sight of the roiling sea. “There will be an undertow and rip currents in a place like this. Swimming will be safer down there.” He waved an arm toward the more southerly reaches of the bay, where the beach gradually widened and the water was quieter.
“Dangerous or not, it is beautiful!” Perri said. “I can smell salt in the air. Halvo, do you think there are sea animals that we could eat? I don’t think the food processor is going to work much longer, if it is still working at all. We are going to be hungry if we stay here for more than a few hours.”
“We might find edible shellfish along the water’s edge.” Halvo squinted against the sunlight reflecting off the water. “The cliff dips just to our left. It will be easier to get to the beach from there. Shall we try a bit of exploration?”
“Right now?”
“Why not? There isn’t much we can do to protect ourselves if we should be attacked, but we might discover something useful down there on the beach.”
“Like a cave where we could hide?”
Halvo smiled at the memory, then shook his head. Taking Pern’s hand in his, he began to walk toward the spot where the cliff was not so high.
“Unless we put a moon or a planet between us and them, there is no place where we can hide and be truly safe from Regulan sensors,” he said. “All we can do is wait and hope that Jyrit dispatches those two ships quickly, before they can find and capture us. Then Jyrit will send out a search party to look for us. Our task is to survive until he does and to stay with the Space Dragon so the job of locating us will be easier.”
“Could the Regulans win against the Krontar?” Perri looked toward the sky. It was difficult to imagine the battle taking place beyond the atmosphere. From where she stood, Dulan’s Planet was an entirely peaceful place, its serene sky holding nothing so threatening as a single cloud. The first of the twin moons was just visible, rising over the eastern arm of the island. Perri stared at that silver moon, recalling how close to it they had been only a few hours ago and how uninviting its surface was. From her present perspective the moon was a lovely, soft counterpoint to the bright sun.
“Jyrit is a born fighter, and his is the larger and better-armed ship. He will defeat those Regulans.”
Having reached his goal, Halvo sat on the lip of the cliff to look downward. Perri copied him. Behind them, they could hear Rolli’s metallic voice still calling out warnings to Perri.
“Why didn’t your father build Rolli with legs instead of wheels?” Halvo asked. “With legs, a robot is much more mobile.”
“Rolli was intended for use inside a house or on city streets while shopping,” Perri said. “That is how Regulan women are expected to spend their time. My father never envisioned either Rolli or me traveling off-planet. Personally, I am very glad we have done so.” She paused while Halvo lowered himself to the sand. He put up his arms and Perri jumped into them.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” she said at once. “Your back—”
“Is not troubling me at all,” Halvo said, finishing the sentence for her. Still with his arms around her, he lifted his head, breathing deeply. “This air is wonderful. You are wonderful. What a shame that this cannot be a vacation for us.”
“Perhaps until we are found it can be.” She knew they ought to be on the alert for attacking Regulans or for a search party from the Krontar, but with the clear air of Dulan’s Planet filling her lungs and Halvo’s strong limbs pressed against her, Perri could not make herself worry about practical matters. Her arms went around Halvo’s neck almost of their own accord. Her fingers slid through his dark hair. Halvo lowered his mouth to hers. In his kiss was all the sheer joy of being still alive after so many dangers faced, so many desperate risks overcome. Perri gave herself up to him, refusing to let herself think about what would very likely happen when they were found. Halvo might not blame her for abducting him, but whoever rescued them surely would.
“Are you hungry?” Halvo broke away, holding her only by her hands. “Shall we look for food as you suggested?”
He had told her more than once that it was a Demarian custom to joke and tease at the beginning of lovemaking, in order to prolong the anticipation and thus increase the ultimate delight. Perri was not sure whether that was truly a custom of his homeworld or whether it was Halvo’s personal preference, but it was a most effective method of luring her into a sensual encounter. Looking into his eyes she saw his desire and his humor, and she knew that, delay though he might, before much longer he would be deep inside her, carrying her with him to a rich fulfillment they would share together. When she gazed into Halvo’s eyes all other concerns fled from her mind. Only Halvo mattered, only his passion. And her passion for him.
“What do you think we will find?” She gave him a teasing smile to match his own before breaking away to hasten toward the water’s edge. “Could there be shellfish or crabs on this planet? Dare we hope for seaworms? Are they indigenous to most worlds with salty seas?”
“Ah, I had forgotten for a moment the deplorable Regulan taste in main courses,” he said. “No doubt you will expect me to eat several varieties of sea plants along with sliced, raw worms.”
“Certainly not,” she said, laughing at him. “We will cook the sea plants before we eat them.”
But the only sea plant they discovered was a single, long strand of brown material that had been washed onto the sand and dried by the blazing sun. There were no seaworms to be found in the damp mud below the tide line and no shellfish of any kind. They did notice a few large fish leaping out of the distant, deeper water from time to time.
“Not having fishing gear or a boat to take us out onto the bay or the open sea, we cannot catch them,” Halvo said with a sigh of hunger and longing.
“I fear we are going to be reduced to eating the bread that was left over from our last meal out of the food processor,” Perri said.
Her stomach was empty, but she was not really thinking about food. All during their search along the seashore Halvo had made a point of touching her often, of taking her hand or tucking a strand of windblown hair behind her ear or letting his fingers trail down her spine whenever he stopped her to point out some new aspect of the landscape.
“Perhaps we should return to the ship,” Halvo said at last. “Rolli will be burning out her circuits in worry and frustration because we have been out of sight for so long.”
Perri’s heart plummeted in disappointment. She had assumed that at some point they would lie down upon the soft, warm sand to make love. She wanted Halvo so badly. There was a familiar heat building inside her, the result of their prolonged, private stroll along the shore and his continual gestures toward her.
Was she mistaken? Did he not want her? Had she misinterpreted casual touches as preliminary caresses? She was not experienced enough to be absolutely certain what his intentions might be.
Having returned to the spot at which they had first descended to the beach, Halvo boosted Perri up, then hauled himself to the edge of the cliff to sit beside her with their legs dangling downward.
“I haven’t been this relaxed in years,” he said.
“I am glad to know you are happy,” she snapped. “I, on the other hand, am still hungry.”
“I want you to be starving,” he whispered, leaning closer. “Aching with emptiness. Absolutely ravenous. As I am.”
She could only stare at him, her emotions seething, her cheeks uncomfortably warm. She would have leapt to her feet to run away from him, but Halvo prevented her from moving. He did not take her hand or her arm. He simply placed one of his hands on her knee, then let it slide slowly up her inner thigh.
“You are playing a game with me,” she said.
“It is no game, I assure you. Perri, you have been trained to gratify a man’s need instantly, with no regard for what you might want. I would like you to begin to appreciate the full range of possibilities between a man and a woman.”
“Another Demari
an custom?” She sounded spiteful, but she did not care. Looking down at him she could see that he did want her. She lifted her own hand to lay it on him.
“The custom of a man who cares about his woman,” he said mildly. Catching her hand before it could make contact with his eagerness, he lifted her fingers to his lips. “Self-restraint can be exciting. Don’t you agree?”
How could cool gray eyes hold so much heat? How could a quiet voice throb with tightly leashed passion? Halvo got to his feet, pulling Perri up with him.
“I do think it is about time to put Rolli to bed for the night,” he said, “since I prefer privacy.” Still holding Pern’s hand he began to walk across the meadow to the Space Dragon, where Rolli stood beside the ship, watching them.
Perri held back, dragging on Halvo’s hand until he paused. The day was drawing to a close, the sun sinking lower in the western sky, while both moons had risen. Over the sea a soft purple haze was forming and on land the shadows were growing longer and deeper.
“Do you think they will come for us tonight?” Perri asked.
“I hope not.” His teeth flashed white. “I intend to feast on stale bread and stream water. And on you. I have been dreaming all day of your shining hair strewn across those pale blue sheets in my cabin.”
“What?” Perri cried, thinking his words were yet another piece of teasing. “Even when you were saving us from the Regulans?”
“Especially then,” he said. “I thought about your soft body and your hot kisses – and your impatient eagerness – and I knew it was not time for us to die just yet.”
“Oh, Halvo.” She could see how serious he was and her heart melted, every bit of irritation with his delaying tactics vanishing in a wave of tenderness.
