Her voice was cut off with a startled shriek as Jack grabbed the front of her flight suit behind his back, jerking her forward against himself. With his hands no longer bound to his feet, Jack could move his legs, and he drew them underneath his body and pushed back as hard as he could. Caught off guard, Aria tumbled backward with Jack coming down on top of her. She snarled, shooting a hand around his body and slamming a closed fist into his stomach.
“Sika na po'krai!” Aria hissed, as she struck him a second and then a third time. “Bastard!”
Jack coughed, fighting the urge to puke as she continued striking him in the stomach. He threw his head back and felt his skull smash into her muzzle. A guttural noise issued from Aria's throat, and her hand stopped striking his stomach as she clutched her nose. Jack spun around, sitting on her stomach, and his hands reached for her throat.
“Ka'a'lai!”
Aria's hands found his throat first, and she tossed him off of her. Jack landed on his back ten feet away, the air whooshing out of his lungs as he hit hard. Before he could catch his breath again, Aria was on him, straddling his chest. She bent down, laying her forearm across his throat, pressing down none too gently.
“You have spirit,” she growled at him, shooting daggers with her eyes. The Ailian rubbed her free hand across her face, looking at her fingers. She flicked her tongue out, licking the blood that was slowly trickling from her nose. “That hurt.”
Jack tried to swallow. He was finding breathing difficult at the moment. “Yeah, well...you tied me up...and made me sleep outside...”
“Po'krai!” Aria spat the word at him. “Baby! In military training, I sleep outside for month! You sleep outside one night!”
She pressed her arm down harder, and Jack felt his airway close completely. He looked up at Aria, fighting as hard as he could just to draw a breath. His hands grabbed her arm, but she was a whole lot stronger than him and as hard as he pulled he wasn't making any headway. Jack could start to hear a rushing sound, and could feel his heartbeat thudding in his ears. His vision started growing fuzzy and his eyes rolled back. Just as he felt like he was about to pass out, Aria released the pressure on his neck and got up from his chest.
Jack sat up, clutching his throat and coughing, gasping for breath. For a long moment he couldn't do anything except breathe, grateful to feel the oxygen flooding into his lungs. He was vaguely aware of Aria going back to the tent, and she emerged shortly thereafter, tossing a spoon at him. It hit his chest and bounced into his lap.
“Eat,” she snarled at him, gesturing to the can of food which had been forgotten on the ground. “I gather supplies.” The Ailian stood there for several minutes, breathing hard, her tail swishing back and forth angrily. “You do that again, I kill you.” She turned her back to him, going to the wreckage of the Star's Eye.
Feeling beaten, Jack picked up the spoon and the can of food. He pried the top off, looking inside at the unappetizing mix of compressed meat and vegetables. Not the breakfast he would have chosen for himself, but it would have to do. Feeling slightly relieved that she hadn't just killed him outright for his escape attempt, he forced himself to eat.
******
A short while later, Jack was finished with his breakfast, and Aria was still gathering up supplies from his camp and from the Star's Eye. She'd taken apart the tent, bundling it back up and setting it with the rest of what she'd gathered. Jack had watched her warily the entire time, but she didn't take her eyes off him for more than a few minutes at a stretch. If he'd had a desire to make another escape attempt, he doubted he would have gotten very far. And in any case, he wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to escape anymore.
Jack had been considering Aria's little proposal since the previous evening, and he had to admit that she'd had a point. If his own ship couldn't be used as a means to get off this planet, at least not without considerable repairs, then their best chance would be to find her ship and try to call for help. By Aria's own admission, she had no idea where exactly the crash site of her ship was, other than a vague notion of the direction in which it lay. Therefore, it stood to reason that the distance to cover might be fairly lengthy.
He looked off in the direction Aria had indicated the previous night. The forest beyond was thick, as far as he could see. The entire time Jack had been here, he'd heard the noises of creatures unknown moving through the trees. On an uninhabited planet, the wildlife was sure to be unlike anything either of them had seen before. There was no telling what kinds of predators might be out there, and it wasn't just predators one had to worry about. Even the prey species might be dangerous in their own ways.
And, Jack thought, looking down at the crumbled remnants of the massive bug that had so rudely awakened him, if this little fellow is any indication, the fauna here is likely to be large.
What that boiled down to, Jack was realizing, was that going it alone would be tantamount to suicide. If Aria was reluctant to do the same, considering how much more formidable she seemed to be than he, that just increased his own reluctance. While he certainly wasn't much of a fan of the way Aria was treating him so far, she was a fighter. If it meant survival, Jack supposed he could deal with the attitude.
Breaking himself out of his quiet consideration, Jack looked to Aria. She seemed to have finished with her gathering of supplies. The Ailian had packed up two large backpacks with various items. In one pack she'd collected medical supplies, ammunition, batteries, and a small portable solar generator. The other pack was stuffed with preserved food, military rations, and toiletries. Strapped onto the top of each pack was a bedroll, and the smaller pack also had the tent attached to it.
Noticing that he had finished eating, Aria slowly re-approached Jack. He sat up straight, keeping a close eye on her, readying himself in case she had any ideas of starting their fight back up. But she seemed to have calmed herself down, and she just went down to a seated position in front of him. A cool, pleasant breeze blew through the crash site, and Jack smoothed down his blonde hair as the wind mussed it up somewhat. At the same time, Aria raised a hand to her head to smooth down the fur between her ears. She caught herself, lowered her hand, and grinned at him.
“So,” she said simply.
Jack raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to say something else. She was just staring at him with those piercing yellow eyes of hers. Impatient, he cleared his throat. “So, what?”
“So, you think of what I say, yes?” Aria asked him. The tip of her tail twitched. “About finding my ship. You will come with me?”
Jack rubbed his chin. “Well...ah...that depends.”
“On?”
“What are you planning to do with me once we get to where we're going?” Jack pressed her. “You say you want to use the radio to call for help. I'm assuming that means you're going to call the Ascendancy and tell them where you are so a rescue ship can pick you up.” Aria nodded. “So, then, what happens to me? I don't much fancy becoming a prisoner of war.”
“Are one already,” Aria pointed out. “Besides. Rather be prisoner of war and alive, or left on uncharted planet and dead?”
“Ah...Point taken.” Jack thought for a few more moments. “One other thing. How do I know you won't just kill me when you've got help on the way?”
Aria looked genuinely surprised by that question. “Kill you? Why?”
Jack cocked an eye at her. “Uh...You've already threatened to do that several times. I wouldn't call it out of the realm of possibility.” He crossed his arms. “I've got to know that I'm going to be alive at the end of this little journey.”
The Ailian leaned back from him, smiling again. Jack realized that she was appraising him again, as though seriously considering the idea that killing him would be a possibility. She touched a hand to her nose where he'd bashed her earlier, brushing away a small bit of crusted blood. Then she crossed her arms, nodding to him.
“You have spirit,” she pronounced, repeating what she'd said earlier in the morning. “You are not soldier
, but still a good fighter, I think. You have fear, but you are also smart. This is good.” Aria leaned forward, placing a hand on his shoulder and looking him in the eye. “You help me, assist me well, and I not kill you. You trust me on this, yes?”
Jack snorted with laughter. “I don't think I trust you.” As Aria's face darkened, he held up a hand, cutting off the low, threatening growl that she was beginning to make. “But you sound sincere to me, and at this point I really don't see any other options. I'd rather not die alone, so I guess we'll go together.” He smirked. “It can't be any worse than hoofing it by myself.”
Aria's face lightened again, and she grinned. “Good choice.” She reached out a hand to him, crooking her fingers. Sharp claws extended, and she hooked them around the cord binding his feet together, cutting it and freeing his legs. Aria stood up, turning her back to him and going to the packs. Jack stretched his legs out in front of him, working the soreness out of his muscles. With a grunt he stood as well, following her.
“Here,” Aria said, handing him the smaller of the two backpacks. “Carry this. Not too heavy, is it?”
Jack grabbed the pack from her and hefted it onto his back, placing the straps over his shoulders. The bag was brutally heavy, but he thought he could manage it, and it would get lighter as their trip went on and they began using up the supplies. Anyway, he didn't feel like irritating the Ailian by complaining about it, and complaints wouldn't do any good. “No. I can handle this.”
“Good,” Aria said. She strapped the larger bag to her back easily. Over one shoulder she slung Jack's rifle, securing it to her backpack with a clip so that it wouldn't swing as she walked. She picked up her own, larger rifle, holding it across her chest. Jack waited expectantly.
“Aren't you forgetting something?” he prompted her.
Aria pondered that for a moment. “No. Not think so.” She checked herself over, making sure that her pack was secure on her back and checking her weapon to ensure that it was loaded. The Ailian shrugged as all seemed well. “Seem fine to me.”
Jack patted the empty holster on his belt. “Don't I at least get my gun back?”
The laughter from Aria in response to his question echoed around the clearing. Her laugh was rather melodious, with an undertone of a purring, rumbling noise. He would have found the sound pleasant if it wasn't being made in such a condescending manner. She shook her head at Jack as though he was a simple child making a ridiculous request of his parent. “Of course not.”
“Why not? Who knows what we'll find out there? I need to be able to defend myself.”
Aria shrugged again, still chuckling. “Like you say. Not trust you.” She thumped him on the back, nearly sending him sprawling on the ground from the weight of his backpack. “You carry supplies, I carry weapons. Not worry. We stay together. You get in trouble, I protect us.”
Jack wasn't sure he liked that at all, but he wasn't really in a position to argue the point. “Um...If you say so, Aria.”
“Very good, Jack. We go now, yes?”
“Just one question before we go.”
Aria sighed, tapping her foot impatiently. “Quick question, I am hoping.”
“Yeah.” Jack adjusted the strap on his backpack, taking in the slack so it sat more securely on his back. He looked up at her. She really was quite a bit larger than him, especially since she was carrying a pack nearly twice the size of his. “If I'd said no, what would you have done?”
Aria looked down at him, grinning widely. “What you think? Smart soldier does not leave enemy alive at her back.”
Smirking, Jack nodded. “I had a feeling you'd say that.”
Slapping his back again, Aria started walking, heading in the direction of where her ship supposedly would be. “Come. Midday soon, I think. Will be hot. Need to be moving.”
Jack watched her as she walked off, her tail swishing with the sway of her hips. She seemed a lot more confident than he was, or maybe she was just good at hiding her true feelings. The Ailian had to be just as nervous as he was, even though she'd obviously seen far more of war than he had. Anyone would be apprehensive going off into unknown territory. Both of them far from home, and far from anyone who could give them aid. Jack shook his head.
I just know I'm going to regret this.
Hitching up his pack, he hurried to catch up to the briskly walking female, as they left the clearing and headed into the alien forest. Off in the distance, he heard a long, dull roar.
- 3 -
“Hang on...Gotta...Gotta sit for a minute...”
Turning her head to look, Aria gave a quiet growl of frustration as she halted for the second time. She walked the few paces back to where Jack had taken a seat, perched on a large rock in a spot shaded by the thick canopy of trees overhead. Jack swung his pack off his back, setting it on the ground next to him. He took off his hat, then wiped the sheen of sweat off of his forehead before putting it back on.
“Second time you stop today,” Aria said to him. She sat down on another rock near him. Jack noticed that she wasn't even breathing hard. “I maybe regretting bringing you along.” Aria laid her rifle against her seat, taking her tail in one hand and picking a few stray bits of dry leaf out of her fur.
Jack withdrew a water bottle from his bag and unscrewed the cap, and he took a long pull. “Look, Aria, you might be used to this kind of thing,” he said, “but basic training was ten years ago for me, and since I retired from the military I never really did much in the way of camping or hiking. I'm just a little out of conditioning.”
The Ailian glared at him. “You make excuses. You show me conditioning just fine this morning.” She pointed a finger at her nose, which was still slightly swollen from where he'd headbutted her. “You just lazy, I think.”
“I'm not as strong as you, and you know it,” Jack insisted. He thought it not an unfair point to make. “You can think whatever you want. This planet is hot and it's muggy. You can't drive me like a slave and expect me to not need to rest every now and then.”
“Every now and-!” Aria waved a hand back towards the direction they'd come from, exasperated. “We walk less than four hours! You stop twice.”
“And I'm carrying a pack that's got to weight a hundred pounds at least,” Jack reminded her. He took another swig of water. Though slightly warm by now, it was nonetheless refreshing. “Be thankful I've only stopped twice.” He wiped his mouth, putting his water bottle back, then jumped as he heard a rustling in a nearby clump of bushes. “What the hell was that?”
“Quiet,” Aria said. She picked up her rifle slowly, aiming it carefully at the bushes.
The rustling continued for several seconds, and then the bushes parted. Aria started to squeeze the trigger, but she stopped when she saw what had been causing the noise. A small, four-legged creature emerged from the vegetation, one of a species that they had seen several times since starting into the alien forest. The animal was about a meter long with a short tail and long black fur. It had a flat face, and a small pointed tooth protruded from each corner of its mouth. Though they seemed to be curious, Jack and Aria had quickly discovered that they were harmless. The ones they had seen had been more concerned with nipping leaves from the low plants than bothering them.
As they watched, the creature slowly approached Aria, sniffing the air and gazing at her with shiny black eyes. It got within perhaps two feet of her before it stopped, its nose twitching. Baring her teeth, Aria growled at it, and the little animal's fur stood on end before it turned around and shot off into the woods. Jack grinned, a little amused by the display.
“That wasn't very nice of you. Poor little thing.”
Aria turned to him. “Better for us. Small animals attract big animals. Haven't seen big animals yet, would prefer not to.” She stood back up. “We start walking again, now, yes?”
Standing up as well, Jack sighed. He picked his pack up and strapped it back on. “I suppose. Lead the way, your majesty...”
******
The f
orest had grown dark before Aria finally called a halt. Jack was wiped out, and he was grateful that he could finally take a real rest. His relief was short-lived, however, because Aria immediately put him to work setting up an overnight campsite for them. While she gathered up some fallen wood to build a fire, Jack put together the tent and dug out a small hole as a makeshift fire pit. After the wood was gathered, Jack got the fire going and they both sat down to eat.
The meal, as each meal they'd had since setting off, was packaged rations mostly from cans. As much as human technology had advanced through the centuries, Jack had to admit that one area which was still lacking was military food. At least the canned varieties were marginally better than the cardboard-packaged meals-ready-to-eat, commonly known as MREs. Jack thought that “meal” was a rather strong term to apply to the MREs. Plastic tubes of peanut butter, bags of beef jerky, and pouches of crumbly pound cake weren't his idea of fine cuisine. As they ate, he was about to comment on it when Aria beat him to it.
“Ta'kri...,” she muttered, looking in disgust at the unappetizing mush she was forcing herself to eat. “Human food not good at all. No wonder you all so short.” Her pointed ears twitched at a noise off in the forest, but whatever it was didn't seem to be close and she turned her attention back to her meal.
Jack shrugged. “Well, it's military food. It's meant to fill you up, not pleasure your taste buds.” He choked down another bite. “I imagine it's the same with the Ailian military.”
Aria stared at him for a few seconds, then she gave a low rumbling chuckle, presenting him with one of her tight little smiles. There was something almost friendly about it. Almost. “True enough, I think.”
For the rest of the meal they ate in silence, listening to the sounds of the forest. Both of them were appreciative of the campfire; while the daytime had been very hot, the night was quickly growing cooler. Jack knew it would be a good idea to keep the fire going all night. Luckily, Aria had gathered enough wood that he figured that wouldn't be a problem.
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