“Oh. So, you’re not consumed with jealousy?”
“Not hardly. God bless her, she just not a threat to me.” Kayla noted I was pouting slightly. “Sorry to spoil your fun. I know you do so love to torture me.”
“Not torture, just, you know, razzing you. It’s meant to show how much I love you.”
“Luckily I understand.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, hon, you said it in Jon speak. Most people don’t understand it.”
“Hmm. Not sure that makes me feel better.”
“Good. That way you’ll be more focused on the mission.”
We kissed awhile and then she took the kids home. That was tougher than I thought it would have been.
“Okay, Kendra, you ready to do this?” I asked as I attached my command prerogatives to the control panel.
“Yes, sir. Oorah! Let’s kick some tiger butt.”
We blinked out of reality then reappeared one hundred and fifty light years away. The planet, what was left of it, was called Mosparo. We successfully popped into the bottom of the deep gorge. The maps had been accurate enough to allow an unsuccessful landing. I immediately set Wrath and Al scanning for signs of detection. After an hour, I figured we were either safe or the Berrillians were masters of deceit and restraint. Having faced them, I favored the fact that my initial plan was good.
Al could translate the locally broadcast language and pour it into my head. Not a pretty tongue. It sounded like Klingon—guttural, harsh, and a lot of spitting was involved. It wasn’t going to be an easy one for Kendra to learn, let alone master. To her credit, she sat right down with Al and began laboring at the task immediately. She worked eighteen hours a day at it. She was tougher than me, I can say that. Toño had devised an earpiece unit to help her. It transmitted whatever Kendra heard to Al, who could then tell her what to say. But until she had some basic command of the language, the tool wouldn’t help enough for her to pass as a native speaker.
I spent most of my time patrolling in ever expanding circles. The location I’d selected was a long way from any outposts or towns. I’d occasionally find an abandon road, some military artifact, or human-looking remains. Interestingly, I never found any Berrillian bodies. They must have recovered their dead, if there’d been any. There were signs many battles in the area, namely blast craters and rubble. Lots of rubble. It seemed to me that missiles and shells had exploded in great numbers. Maybe the valley region was a stronghold for the resistance, but I couldn’t be certain. One thing I didn’t find was anything alive larger than a bug.
Within a few days, Al found out that the Berrillians were still exploiting the enslaved population. They were sending a huge number of communications, both locally and off planet. He caught very few transmissions from humanoids. When he did, the general message was don’t resist, don’t complain, and work hard. What they never contained was a message of hope. They’d apparently learned that as bad and bleak as things were, pissing the cats off made life even more intolerable. Sorry bastards. They were slowly succumbing to the monsters who ruled them, and they knew it. All they wanted was the least inhumane deaths possible.
A week into her marathon language course, Kendra was getting the hang of the local dialect of Xastral. It was one of the hundreds of languages spoken on Mosparo. From that point on, the four of us only spoke Xastral. That way she could practice listening to Al’s prompts and getting them to sound natural when she spoke them. We were then ready to try and find some locals in an attempt to blend in with them. I hoped we’d find some Berrillians to fool. That was the trickiest part of my plan. There probably weren’t any free-living natives any longer. They could have all been rounded up if not already processed. If we ran into the enemy not knowing we weren’t supposed to be wandering the barrens, we’d have a firefight on our hands real quick.
We didn’t dare use any vehicles unless we scavenged them, but all we found were piles of burned out junk. So, we walked and walked and walked. That led to the inevitable problem of being farther from our base than I’d like. I could summon Shearwater remotely, but that would take time, time we might not have if we encountered a large Berrillian patrol. I guess that’s why they sent two trained killers here, right? If they’d sent a couple level-headed accountants, the mission would fail for sure.
As any soldier who’d been on an endless march could tell you, there were only two things to do. Talk or not talk. Either way, you were bored out of your mind unless you were scared out of your wits. Us two, we mostly talked. Not at first, of course. We both wanted to appear to be the harder case—the tougher, more indifferent warrior. But after a few days of that bullshit, we began chatting.
“So, Echo, where you from?”
“You mean on Earth?”
“I guess. You look too old to be a space rat.”
“Cincinnati, blessed capital of the buckeye state, whatever the hell a buckeye is.”
“It’s what they see with, the male deer. Yeah, you used to find them laying on the ground everywhere when I was a kid. Totally gross when you stepped on them. They made this squishy pop.”
“I’m starting a running tab of the number of stupid, idiotic, or sexist things you say. When we get back home, I’m slugging you in the arm once for each of them. Please keep that in mind.”
“What if I’m into that kind of stuff? I might go out of my way to enjoy your company.”
“FYI. Number two’s written in stone. Please go on. It’s my goal to make it clear you’ll never enjoy my company.”
“How old were you when we hit space?”
“High school. Between freshman and sophomore years. Hell of a time to go through big changes. I had horrible acne, hated every living thing, and hadn’t figured out my sexual orientation issues. It was one continuous Charlie foxtrot.”
“Ah, the high school years. Six best years of my life.”
“They were the six best years of your life. I know your type, Ryan. You were starting quarterback even as a frosh, you nailed more cheerleaders than the rest of the team’s combined total, and you were prom king. You’d a been president of all your classes but you thought that was way too uncool for a demigod like you.”
“You left off the summa cum laude and how many non-cheerleaders I bagged.”
“Other girls? Yes. Academics? No way. You were too cool to be caught dead excelling scholastically.”
“Did they make a holo about me I was unaware of?”
“Yes they did. It's located in your dreams if you want to find a copy. No, you’re just a personification of the worst of the worst I failed miserably to impress.”
“Wow, big word. Personification. I’m seriously impressed. I can tell I’m going to learn a lot of useful vocabulary on this vacation.”
“Three.”
“You married or otherwise spoken for?”
She was quiet a few seconds. “Nah. I’m between oases crossing the desert of life.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“It just is. I don’t care too much either way, truth be told.”
“That sucks. And don’t you dare say four, cause I’m being serious.”
“Thanks. I’ll put you up for the Sensitivity Medal when we get back. They’re shaped like a puppy and smell like cotton candy.”
“She snarked, thus avoiding the issue.”
“Man takes a hint. Maybe you are special after all, Ryan.”
“You look up special in the dictionary, you see my picture.”
“No, that would be looking in the dick-tionary.”
“I’m starting my own list, sweetie. One”
“Four.”
“You know I’m an android, right. Punches don’t hurt me.”
“A) Mine will and B) I gotta tell you I was so thrilled to being assigned to not just a dude with a swollen ego but a metal dude with one. Yeah, this gig is going to end well.”
“Time will tell. I’m cautiously optimistic.”
“That you’l
l live, maybe. Beyond that, you’re delusional. Hey, here’s a joke. Knock, knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“The bitch.”
“The bitch who?”
“The bitch who’ll shoot you if you don’t shut the fuck up already.”
“Wait, that wasn’t funny?”
“I wasn’t kidding, she said hoping there’s a man in the universe that’ll take two consecutive hints.”
“Time’ll tell. That’s a tall order.”
“Yeah, and you’re a tall guy, right?”
“Devilishly handsome to boot.”
“Why do I always get assigned to the psychos?”
“Hmmh hum hm mhmhm hm.”
“The pilot mumbled it takes one to know one,” Al translated into her ear and my head. He was so damn helpful, like jock itch.
Kendra didn’t say a word, but I did hear her weapon fire up. She certainly was a woman of few words but serious convictions.
SEVENTEEN
“If I could only turn into a butterfly like you, dearest Callophrys. Then we could fly away together and never be sad again.”
In her sweet, high-pitched tone, Callophrys responded. “No, child. If we did that, you could not rule this world. What would your subjects do without you? What would become of them?”
Dolirca’s face twisted in anger. “They don’t love me. If I was gone, I think they’d throw a party.”
“Never. They adore you. A few, like your wicked uncle, may still resent your wisdom and your power. But they can be taught to love you. It only takes a little persuasion. A word here, an electric shock there, an amputation once in awhile. It is simple to sway weak minds.”
“I should torture my enemies into becoming my friends? That is wrong. I also doubt it would work. My uncle is too human to love me.”
“Do you know what a bet is, child? A wager between friends?”
“Of course. My wretched husband Burlinhar is a gambler. He’s always away with his buddies drinking and playing games of chance. I do so hope to convince him to stop his nasty habits. But he is so stubborn.” She punched the pillow she reclined on.
“I would like to make you a bet. I bet that I can torture any person you choose into loving you.”
“Oh, that will never do. Making a bad person say they love me proves nothing.” She pouted deeply and hugged her pillow.
“No. I said make them love you, not just say the words. They will become your best friend—aside from me, of course.”
“Do you think it possible?”
“I’ll wager it is.”
“And if you can’t. What do I win?”
“Why, you win the death of an enemy who won’t change their mind. What better gift is there?”
“I’d rather have a pony. Yes, a silver pony with a flowing pink mane, ribbons on her tail, and bells on her bridle. And her saddle would be made of puffy rain clouds.”
“If I lose, we shall see about that pony. So, we have a bet?”
She waved a limp hand passively. “If you say so, we do.”
“And whom shall we put to the test? As if I didn’t know.”
“Yes. You’re right as always. I wish for my husband to truly love me.” She scowled. “He never really has. He holds his nose when we have intercourse. I will see him love me.”
“Ah, child, Burlinhar is dead. You had your Toe throw him off a cliff. He’s buried not one hundred meters from here.”
“That is a sick joke, Callophrys. Please do not offend me with such a vile jest. No, I threatened him. I said if he didn’t love me and support me, I might have him thrown off a cliff.” She giggled and covered her mouth. “But I could never do that, not even to him. It would be wrong. And I love him. He is my brood-mate you know?”
“I, er…”
“Eas-el, you see the girl is completely mad. Why play this game when she’s incapable of comprehension? Destroy this planet and release the rest of us,” chided Des-al.
“What did you say, Callophrys? You spoke but it wasn’t your voice,” asked a confused Dolirca.
“Nothing, child. You heard the wind, an empty wind that cannot act until I allow it. Now, if I couldn’t torture your brood-mate, who would you chose? Your foul uncle JJ?”
“Who? Oh, you mean Urpentor? JJ changed his name to make my happy. I was sad for some reason. He told me he wanted me to be happy so he would be my jester. Silly uncle.”
“Empress, for now I suggest you rest. Your mind is heavy with the power of command. I shall return to you tomorrow and we will decide who to torture.”
“Torture? Really?” She made a sick expression. “Must we?”
“Yes. Remember we have a bet to settle.”
“If you say we do, we must. I am quite tired. Thank you for worrying about me, Nmemton. Please leave me now so I might rest.”
“Eas-el. This has gone too far. If you do not stop the charade, I will be forced to challenge your position,” said Des-al. “And if I challenge, you will lose. And when you lose, my prophecy that your rash action would cost the existence of yet another of the few Last Nightmares, I will punish you forever.”
“Sleep, idiot child,” remarked the butterfly. “Tomorrow I return and the terror will commence.”
EIGHTEEN
It took us two weeks to run into anything not dead or destroyed. We found a sheep-like beast wandering loose and grazing on the sparse vegetation. I say sheep-like, because it definitely wasn’t one, but it looked like it fit that classification as far as an advanced civilization might require one. It was also very tame. It walked over to us, smelled us, then slowly nibbled away, oblivious to our continued presence.
“They must’a missed that one,” said Kendra, pointing at it with her rifle.
“Both sides, it would seem.”
“We should take her with us.”
“Say what? Why would we do that and how do you know it’s a girl?”
“She’s the luckiest bitch on the planet. We could use it. She must be a female because only she would be smart enough to avoid capture. A ram would have tried to butt someone and would have gotten his ass killed.”
“The only way she comes is if you’re hungry enough to butcher her and bring the best cuts. I’ll take a pass.”
“Pig.”
“Your point being?”
“Let’s march. This conversation’s boring.”
A few days later, I spied a craft in the air way off in the distance. It was a small ship, maybe scouting. No way they saw us. It had to be Berrillian because any native flight capabilities would have been long since neutralized. It circled one area a few times, then left.
“I say we head that way,” I said indicating the region the ship seemed to be interested in.
“Not sure that’s wise. If they scrutinized the region once, they’ll probably do it again. Doesn’t seem smart to go to where they’re bound to search.”
“Presumably they’re searching for something they believe to be there. Whatever that is would likely help us.”
“If we find them first and if we’re not observed. I say no.”
“I got four stars on my shoulder that say we do it my way.”
“Yes, sir. I believe I hear the choir myself.”
It turned out to be a two-day forced march. Kendra really impressed me. She never flagged or asked for a breather, and she kept up without me slowing too much. The area we ended up in looked exactly as desolate and uninhabited as all the landscape had since we began our search. There were a few more signs of battle, but nothing recent. The most promising position seemed to be the rolling hill that rose from the otherwise flat, barren land.
We made camp at the base of the first real rise we came to. Kendra said she needed a meal and three hours of sack time. I spent the time checking with Al and using my night vision to scan the hills. I was surprised when I saw a little movement halfway up a hill a few clicks away. The signal was faint, but it was there. Could have been a rat taking a piss, but it was better to have
a shaky destination than none at all.
By the next morning, we’d made it to where I’d seen whatever it was. There were fresh tracks that someone had tried to cover up. That excluded Berrillians or a wild animal. Plus, the scent was unfamiliar. I would not mistake a Berrillian imprint.
Pushing myself off the dirt, I said, “I do believe we found a human track. I saw it four hours ago. Whoever made it must be close. I’ll bet they’re holed up in a cave or deep ravine.”
Al, scan the area around me and see if there are radar signals consistent with cave openings or deep cuts in the hillsides.
Almost instantaneously, Al provided me with three close options. Two gullies and one cave. If I were running from a pack of five-hundred-pound killing machine, I know I’d choose a cave.
“There’s a cave mouth three hundred fifty meters that direction. Let’s move, but stay sharp. Whoever’s there won’t have the welcome mat out.”
“Working with you is damn spooky,” Kendra said as we headed out. “You smell the ground and acquire a target without a word.”
“Yeah, and I wasn’t even trying to be as impressive as I can be.”
“I said spooky, not impressive. Get over yourself already.”
“If anyone is holed up in the cave, they’ll not risk firing on us at distance. The noise and muzzle-flashes will draw the Berrillians’ attention. Plus, we’re clearly humans. If they are going to ambush us, it’ll be after we’re inside the cave.”
We reached the mouth without incident, as I expected.
“This is where it gets interesting,” said Kendra as she stepped into the cave itself.
I followed. We alternated small advances with covering each other. In a few minutes, we were deep enough in that Kendra had to don her night-vision equipment. Again, to her credit, it didn’t slow her a bit. It was like she was born with them on.
There it was. A footstep. Twenty meters or so farther along. Definitely not a cat paw.
I turned to Kendra. With hand signals, I told her: stop. I hear. Enemy. Twenty ahead. Crouch. Come. Cover me.
She returned: I don’t understand. Twenty enemy. Twenty pace count.
Twenty pace count.
Forever Series 5: The Forever Alliance Page 8
