The subspace transceiver beeped. He punched the pad. "Travers here."
"Ranul here."
He sat up straighter. He rarely heard from fellow Shielders, and even rarer was his communication with their leaders— unless they needed supplies or something was wrong. He activated the viewscreen. "It's been a while."
Jarek san Ranul's image flashed on the screen. "It has. I'm afraid I might have bad news. Are you alone?"
Trepidation slithered through him. He was sure he didn't want to hear Jarek's news, whatever it was. His looked at Moriah, who watched with open interest. She already knew far too much, already posed a threat to a Shielder colony, and to Sabin himself. Yet, oddly, he was beginning to trust her, which was crazy, considering the lady had drugged him and stolen his ship.
Yet, although she had breached his security measures, she hadn't taken advantage of him while he'd been delirious with fever. She had remained by his side during his illness, keeping the course for Elysia. Still, regardless of her surprising actions, he couldn't take the chance of her learning any further information about his people.
"Give me a moment," he answered, still looking at her. He muted the contact. "I need to take this alone."
She stood, flipping her hair over her shoulder. The motion stretched her bronze flightsuit over her lithe form. For once, he was unaffected, too apprehensive about this communication to react to her allure. He waited until the panel slid shut behind her and then released the mute. "What is it?"
"We believe the Nissar colony has been attacked by Anteks."
The news hit Sabin like firing blasters. He went rigid, frozen with dread, trapped inside an avalanche of dark demons. Adrenaline surged as an all-too-familiar kaleidoscope of hideous scenes flashed through his mind. Terror. Screaming. Death.
He finally found the strength to speak. "What information do you have?"
Jarek's features remained stiff, but torment burned in his eyes. "One of my men doing surveillance on Calt overhead a Neanderthal by the name of Turlock boasting that he and his partner had discovered the colony. Claimed he sold the information to the Controllers. He apparently had a lot of money to spread around. When we tried to contact Nissar, we got no answer. I fear the worst. I'm headed there right now. Where are you?"
Turlock. Just as Sabin wondered where he'd heard that name before, the answer came to him. Turlock was Galen's latest cohort. Coldhearted, greedy bastard that he was, Galen would be more than willing to sacrifice an entire colony for gold.
A tidal wave of fury broadsided him. He knew with every cell in his body Galen was behind this senseless massacre. Because of the bounty on his head, Galen couldn't approach the Controllers with the information. But Turlock, his so-called partner, could. Galen was a dead man. Reward or not.
"Sabin? Did you hear me?"
He forced himself to think. "I'm two cycles from Elysia, traveling from Intrepid."
Jarek brought up some data. "Then you're less than two cycles from the colony. You're the closest one. I need you to meet me there."
Sabin understood the request all too well. Traveling to Nissar would be dangerous enough for two Shielder ships, much less one. There might be Anteks still loitering at the colony, or scavengers out for plunder, or slave traders searching for Shielder survivors to sell at Slaver's Square on Elysia.
But worse—far worse—would be the total, absolute destruction: of people, animals, and buildings. Nothing remaining but charred bodies and smoldering rubble. The echoes of screaming terror. The stench of death. He remembered them all too clearly.
Clenching the console, he willed air into his constricted lungs, willed himself to stay focused on the present. On what had to be done. No matter how horrifying. It's been over twenty-four seasons, he told himself. Put it behind you and do your duty. He was a Shielder, first and foremost. His obligations lay with his people. "I'll get there as fast as I can."
"You have my gratitude. I'm a little over two cycles away myself. I'll keep trying to contact them while I'm en route. When you arrive, orbit at a safe distance until I get there. We'll go planetside together."
Sabin thought of Moriah. Her presence made the situation even more precarious. He could be putting her in grave danger. At the very least, this detour would become a major source of conflict. But duty to his people came before all else. "All right," he told Jarek. "I'll wait for you to arrive. But contact me via computer rather than through the transceiver when you make orbit."
After Jarek signed off, he stared at the blank screen, battling the nightmares of the past. The fear, the pain, the stark reality that hundreds of lives could be extinguished in the cold blink of an eye. Death that claimed its victims mercilessly, while leaving those who did survive dead inside.
Finally, he set course for Nissar. And steeled himself to endure the horror to come.
* * * *
"Strap in and prepare for landing," Sabin ordered.
Moriah looked up from her computer. "We've arrived at Elysia?"
He'd been wondering how to handle this moment. He had kept quiet about their change in course, choosing to give her as little information as possible. He hadn't talked about much of anything, for that matter. He had no words, only memories that clawed at his gut.
She had eventually quit trying to instigate conversation. The silence was fine with him. He'd needed the distance from her. She was entirely too distracting. He could never take the risk of caring for anyone—never. If anything, the situation he and Jarek were about to face should reinforce that fact.
"We're not at Elysia," he said gruffly. "I had to make another stop first. We'll be on track again within a cycle."
Disbelief filled her eyes. "Where are we?"
"Better you don't know. But we're going to Elysia after I finish here."
Her eyes turned bronze as anger replaced disbelief. "I have every right to know where we are. How far are we from Elysia?"
"Three cycles. Trust me, you don't need to know anything about this side-trip. It has nothing to do with you."
She rose slowly from her chair. "Trust you? I gave you my word, and I've kept my end of the bargain. For some idiotic reason, I expected you to do the same. Now you're telling me we've traveled two cycles out of our way, costing me five—five—cycles of precious time. And it's none of my business? You can jump in the Abyss!"
He regretted what he had to do next, but he had little choice. Reaching into a cabinet, he pulled out some shackles. "I'd hoped you'd be reasonable." He stood to face her. "I apologize for the loss of your time. I'll make it up to you if I can. But make no mistake—I have to do this. You can cooperate and agree to wait for me on the ship, or I'll be forced to restrain you. Your choice."
Her hands clenched against her things, she glared at him, shaking with anger. "You bastard."
He really felt like a bastard, especially since she had honored her end of the bargain. "Agreed. But I'm bigger and stronger, and you have no choice in the matter. What will it be? Cooperation or coercion?"
She stared at him a moment longer, her eyes a blur of gold sparks, her hair tumbling around her shoulders. Finally, she tossed her head with a frustrated sigh. "I'll cooperate. I'll wait on the ship."
His bluff had worked. Relief swept through him. He had absolutely no intention of shackling her. If something went wrong, if anyone was plundering the colony remains, if an Antek patrol returned, if anything happened to him, Moriah would be on her own. She might have to defend herself. Or she might have to pilot the ship to safety.
"Your word that you won't try to escape and that you'll continue on to Elysia with me afterwards. Not that it would do you any good to leave the ship." He steeled himself against the suffocating coldness permeating him. "There's no one here who can help you."
"My word is good," she bit out. "I think I've proven that. How long will you be gone?"
How long? How long did it take to view total carnage? To determine there were no survivors? And then…how long to forget? "No more than a f
ew hours. So sit down and put on your harness."
After they landed, Sabin stood and strode into the corridor. Going to the weapons vault, he opened it. He took out body armor and strapped it on. Then he pulled out two guns and sled them into the holsters on his utility belt. He also took another gun, two stunners, and a plasma rifle.
"I take it this isn't a social call," she commented from behind him.
"No." He checked the charges on the stunners, hooked one onto his belt. "Here." He held out the other stunner and the third gun. "Just in case."
Her brows rose as she took them. "In case what?"
So much evil in the universe. So many heinous possibilities. A great heaviness in his gut, he pulled out a blast helmet. "You might need to defend yourself."
Frowning, she stared at him. "What's going on?"
He wanted her to have a life. A future. She needed an avenue of escape if one became necessary. "Nothing that concerns you. But if I haven't returned in two hours or contacted you on the comm link, fire up the engines and get out of here."
He paused. She still knew the location of a Shielder settlement. Similar knowledge had just destroyed innocent people. He went to the hatch and opened the portal. No one should ever see such a heinous sight, but desperation spurred his decision. "Look out there."
Her expression perplexed, she walked over and stared out the portal.
"What do you see, Moriah?"
"I'm not sure. Everything is a distance away. There's smoke, and piles of refuse."
"See any signs of life?"
"No. No people or animals." She turned back to him. "What is this place?"
"I guess you've never seen a colony that's been razed by Anteks."
Her eyes widened in horror. "Oh, Spirit!" She whirled back to the portal, clutching the frame. "Oh…no."
Oh, yes. And she couldn't begin to imagine the terror of experiencing it firsthand. Grasping her shoulders, Sabin turned her toward him. "That was a Shielder settlement, Moriah. Someone reported its location to the Controllers. At least two hundred men, women, and children are dead."
She stared at him, emotion churning in her eyes.
"Swear to me," he demanded fiercely. "Promise me you'll never tell anyone about the colony we landed at after we left Calt. Swear it!"
A tremor ran through her body, but her gaze remained steady. "I swear," she said. "On my honor and my life, I give you my word I will never tell anyone about that colony." She looked toward the portal. "How horrible."
"Yeah." He released her before she could feel his own trembling, and put on his helmet.
"Sabin." Her hand on his arm reverberated through him. He looked up. The compassion in her eyes wrapped around his soul. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
He felt an inexplicable need to touch her. Reaching out, he cupped his hand against her cheek, watched her surprise. Her skin was warm and soft, but the woman beneath was solid. She had endured terrible life circumstances, yet emerged strong and sure.
He had the sudden urge to crush her to him, to absorb her unwavering strength. Instead, he murmured, "Just stay safe, okay?" Drawing back, he strode to the hatch and opened it. "Secure the entry behind me and don't admit anyone else. Contact me on the comm link if you need me." He started out.
"Sabin."
He turned, amazed to see worry in Moriah’s eyes. "Spirit be with you," she said quietly.
The blessing washed over him like a warm tide. Her unexpected concern gave him a kernel of strength he desperately needed. He nodded brusquely and stepped though the hatch … into hell.
He'd landed a few hundred meters from the colony, but even from here, the unmistakable reek of burned bodies assaulted his senses. A gray haze, created by smoldering piles of debris, drifted over the settlement. The past raced up to engulf him. His heart pounded against his chest. The blood rushed in his ears. He couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. Have to breathe…
"Sabin!" The shout shattered his paralysis. He whirled, bringing up his rifle, ready to discharge.
"Whoa!" Jarek san Ranul held up a hand. "It’s me."
It took a moment for Sabin to free himself from the maelstrom. The rifle dropped to his side. "Sorry."
Jarek lowered his hand. "Didn't mean to trigger your battle stance. Didn't you hear me calling? Feel my presence?"
Normally Sabin was acutely sensitive to the innate awareness all Shielders possessed for identifying other Shielders. That very ability, along with a natural mind shield that prevented Controller mental indoctrination, had thus far prevented the wholesale destruction of their race. But seeing the carnage of Nissar numbed him to all awareness.
"Guess I was distracted by this—" He gestured toward what had been a functioning Shielder colony, at a loss for words. Not sure he could have forced them past his constricted throat.
"Yeah," Jarek said, his expression as sickened as Sabin felt. "This…abomination." He stared at the remains and then pulled out an infrared scanner. "Let's get this over with."
Neither Jarek nor Sabin had picked up any signals from Antek or slaver ships, nor had they seen any scavenger ships while orbiting. There could be hidden ships, though, so they remained on alert. Barring that, they had only one goal. Look for survivors.
Like Sabin had been. A young boy of six seasons, huddled beneath the bloodied body of his mother, eluding slavers. Cold, terrified. Now, lurching forward, he forced back the images, battling to keep his focus in the present.
Weapons drawn, the two men walked across the blackened ground. The smell worsened as they approached the remains of the colony, forcing them to lower the visors on their helmets. But even that couldn't obliterate the stench of decomposing bodies.
Nor could they close their eyes to the massacre. To the sightless eyes staring up, or the expressions of terror on half-destroyed faces. Nor to the absolute destruction. Broken bodies, broken household items, broken toys. Nothing spared. Men, women, children, babies, animals. The Anteks had been thorough.
Don't think. Don't feel. Sabin willed himself not to look directly at the bodies, but rather at the peripherals. It seemed like he was in a tunnel, the only light a patch of gray far, far, at the end. A great weight bore down on him, making it increasingly difficult to go forward. Keep walking. Get through this.
He shifted his attention to the energy all living Shielders exuded, trying to pick up another life presence. Jarek's infrared scanner would pick up anything that might be moving. Nissar was a small moon, and it wouldn't take long to search.
They both sensed it at the same time. A faint vibration from a living Shielder. Weak, but alive, it was coming from a pile of rubble about ten meters ahead. They quickened their pace. A sound behind them had both men whirling, weapons primed. Moriah stood there, holding the gun. Sabin raised a restraining hand toward Jarek. "Don't fire! She's with me."
"Blazing hells!" Jarek snapped. "You should have warned me, man. I almost killed her."
"I expected her to follow orders." Sabin lowered his shaking arm. Adrenaline still rushing through him, he turned his ire on Moriah. "What are you doing out here? I told you to stay on the ship."
She stiffened, her chin lifting. "I thought you might need backup." She swallowed, looking at the devastation. She turned back to Sabin. "In case there were any Antek patrols around."
She looked so pale, he feared she might faint. "Get back to the ship," he ordered. "I don't have time to deal with this and you at the same time."
Her eyes narrowed. "I don't need any support. I came to offer assistance. But from the looks of things…" Her gaze drifted again, and she shuddered. "It appears we're too late to help anyone."
Despite her harsh life, despite living with shadowers, she'd probably never seen much death, especially bodies so horribly massacred. Sabin wished he could claim the same.
"We need to investigate that pile, and quickly," Jarek interjected. "And she's not—" He hesitated.
"It’s okay,” Sabin said. “She knows about us, what we are. She won't tell any
one about what she saw here, or report us. "
Suspicion glinted in Jarek's dark brown eyes, but he apparently decided not to challenge Sabin's judgment. Besides, what was the sense of trying to protect the identity of this colony now?
Sabin turned to Moriah. "If you won't return to the ship, then keep an eye out while we look for survivors."
She nodded, and he and Jarek headed toward the life force. Nothing moved as they approached the rubble, but the vibration grew in strength. They knelt by the mound and quickly shifted debris aside.
"Don't be afraid," Jarek called out. "We're here to help you. Come out if you can."
They saw movement, the pile heaving. They pulled back a large rock, uncovering a depression in the ground. Huddled there, covered with cuts and filth, lay a shivering young boy. The sight of the terrified child hit Sabin like a fist to the gut. It had been over twenty-four seasons, but he remembered every detail as if it were yesterday.
Shaking almost as badly as the boy, he reached out. "It's okay. You're safe."
The boy shrank back. "No!" he screamed. "No, no! Mommy! Mommy, where are you? Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!"
He tried to scramble away, but Jarek cut him off. He whirled around, and Sabin snagged him, pulling him close. "It's okay. We won't hurt you. We're here to help you."
The boy struggled and kicked, despite their reassurances. Finally, he went limp, quivering like a trapped kerani. "Mommy. Mommy," was all he would say.
Sabin closed his eyes, battling déjà vu. No one deserved to face this.
* * * *
Moriah rocked the boy against her, cooing soft, nonsensical words of reassurance, while Sabin and the man called Jarek searched for more survivors. The child clung to her so tightly she could barely breathe. She had moved him to a flat rock away from the carnage, but close enough to keep watch. The gun and stunner lay beside her.
She'd never seen such destruction. Those bodies, the twisted faces, the stench. And the little ones. Oh, Spirit, the little ones. Children and babies. The images would be forever imprinted on her mind. No wonder Shielders guarded their settlement locations with their lives—and with the lives of those who discovered them.
Shadower Page 18
