by P J Strebor
A great sulking scowl covered his face. "So, you Athenians too good to sit down with us colonials aye?" he growled.
Nathan appeared at her side. He had removed his arm from the sling and it hung at his side. A typically gutsy move from Nathan. There was no way he could use the damaged arm no matter how much he might want to. Of course, Jonathan did not know that.
"She's having coffee with us, Jonathan." Although he made his tone conversational, the sparkling blue flecks in his eyes transmitted a different meaning. The two of them had history. After a few seconds Jonathan reconsidered his position. His large shoulders drooped as if supporting a weighty load.
"My apologies Burgess Marshall," he mumbled.
"Your apology is accepted Jonathan," she said. "And please, call me Olivia." She looked back at Nathan. "I believe that you were going to show me around?"
Nathan grinned. "Yes indeed, Olivia," he said then remembered his best friend. "Ready to go, Moe?"
"I've got things to do." From experience Moe knew when she became a fifth wheel. "I'll catch up with you later." She received no argument from either of them as they walked off together.
Jonathan scowled after them. "What's he got that I haven't," he moaned.
"Her." It was a thoroughly ancient line, but Moe suspected that it held more than a grain of truth. She considered it odd that such a realization would make her feel so sad.
CHAPTER 14
Time: 22nd December, 315 (ASC).
Position: Penkovsky homestead. Mullally province. Planet Kastoria.
Nathan gazed through the window to where the sun spilled down the valley. The undulating spirals of coffee trees came to life as the light glanced off the early morning dew clinging to the leaves.
He could scarcely believe how much he had changed the last three years. Over that time, slowly, with times of painful lessons learned he had come out of his shell. He could never forget the past but he could concentrate more of his attention on the future. Then there was Livy. I never sought her out, I tried to dismiss her as I’d dismissed so many others, but despite my best efforts she won my heart. Thank goodness.
A thought popped into his head unbidden. It surprised him but also brought a smile to his face. “I’m happy,” he whispered to the waiting valley.
He hung his weapons webbing across his shoulder and reached for his bow.
“The mighty hunter of the Kastorian rain forest.” Livy returned from the bathroom and ran her eyes across his taut body. “I suppose I could do worse.” She rested her hands on his chest and kissed him deeply.
Nathan's head swam, as it always did when she was close. “You take my breath away,” he whispered into her ear.
Livy rested her head on his shoulder. “When do you think you'll be back?”
He stroked her thick chestnut hair. “Why darlin', you used another contraction. We'll have you sounding like a colonial in no time.”
She beat playfully on his chest and giggled. “When?”
“Hard to say. If we get lucky we might be back by lunch, but I wouldn't make plans.”
“Already have. Bernie, Lucy and I are going into town after lunch. There are a few things we have to pick up for the celebration.”
“Ah yes, the New Horizons night.” Nathan lowered his voice and quoted, “With graduation behind us the hopeful future beckons.”
“I hope it's half as good as last year's.”
“Hmm.” And the future with my lovely Livy beckons.
The whine of an approaching air-car broke Nathan from his thoughts.
“Moe’s here,” Livy said.
“Yep. We better get to the breakfast table before she eats everything.”
Hand in hand they wandered into the dining room.
“Mornin’ you two,” Caleb said. Nathan could never understand how Caleb could be so chipper at this time of the morning. My father was right. The Penkovsky's are such good people. The thought of his lost family caused a heaviness to rest on his heart so he brushed the memory aside. Again.
“Good morning, Caleb,” Livy said.
Nathan pulled out the heavy wooden chair for Livy.
“I hope you two slept well,” Bernie said.
“Fine.” Livy blushed slightly.
Nathan took the chair beside Livy and noticed his kid sister trying to hide a smile.
“Mornin’ Lucy,” Nathan said.
Fourteen years old and fully aware, Lucy’s room was next door to Nathan’s.
Lucy giggled.
“What’s so funny little sister?” Nathan asked.
“Nothing,” she said, her eyes remaining on her plate.
Lewis could not leave well enough alone. “The walls aren’t all that thick, you know.”
“But you are … Lewy,” Nathan teased.
“How many times do I have to tell you? My name is Lewis, not Lew, not –”
“Mornin’ all,” Moe said. She dropped into the seat beside Nathan. “So Bernie, what treats do you have for breakfast today?”
“Nothing special Moe, just pancakes.”
“Not just pancakes, but Bernie’s best on Kastoria pancakes. I’d walk the twenty clicks from my home for your pancakes.”
Moe glanced past Nathan to Livy. “So, did you two wake the rooster again this morning?”
Livy’s ears burned bright pink as polite laughter filled the room.
“Behave yourself, Moe,” Nathan warned playfully. He squeezed Livy’s hand and winked. Moe's tomboy attitude won't last long at the academy.
The breakfast continued in the same easy vein until the time came for them to leave. They walked onto the veranda and while Nathan and Livy lingered Moe continued onto the gate. He did not want to leave her, not even for a few hours.
Nathan knew Livy loved him and that she knew he loved her even if he could never say those exact words. In his rattled mind everyone he loved died. Within the crazy notion dwelt a fear with a history he dared not ignore. I loved my family but in the end my love did not spare them from their ghastly deaths.
“I've got to go,” Nathan said.
Livy hugged him and stared into his eyes. “I love you.”
“Right back at you.” He gently stroked her hair before forcing himself to leave her.
Nathan fell into step beside Moe and together they passed through the broad front gate.
CHAPTER 15
Time: 22nd December, 315 (ASC).
Position: Mullally province. Planet Kastoria.
Moe’s gaze locked onto Nathan, awaiting his next signal. He stood motionless in the middle of the deathly quiet clearing fifty meters upwind of her position. She smiled, recalling the first time she set eyes on that skinny, reticent boy. Since arriving in the province three years ago, he had filled out very nicely indeed. A rigorous physical regime guaranteed not a gram of fat touched his muscular frame. From firsthand experience she knew how fast and dangerous he could be. Yet today he had been distracted. Probably daydreaming about Livy.
Throughout the morning they had tracked the rogue boar from the high equatorial escarpment to this glen, a few kilometers from the Penkovsky homestead.
Moe brushed a trickle of sweat from her upper lip.
Nathan’s relaxed pose had remained unchanged for the last ten minutes. His attention focused on a thicket of tall reeds about a hundred meters in front of him. Moe detected nothing but if he suspected the boar lurked within the silent thicket she would bet her life on it. Within the province’s hunting fraternity his freakish hunting instincts had gained him respect beyond his years.
Using hand signals Nathan directed her to the best firing position with a clear shot at the creature's forequarter when it broke from cover. Being upwind also positioned her in the safest spot. Noiselessly, he moved twenty meters to her right. Moe nocked an arrow and waited. No hunter would be stupid enough to wander into a dense thicket in pursuit of a wild boar. Certainly not Nathan. Years ago when she asked him why he
preferred a bow instead of a modern pulsar hunting rifle, his answer never varied: "When one shot determines your fate, you pay attention."
Still no movement, no sound. Nathan remained stock still, his bow hand casually by his side. His body angled toward a spot in the tall reeds. His head slowly rotated until their eyes met. A wry smile creased the left side of his mouth making Moe tense. He winked. Oh shit. Nathan deliberately stepped onto a large, dry twig. The crack of wood shattered the silence like a thunderclap. Moe's heart missed a beat when a deep roar rumbled across the clearing. A great swathe of reeds parted frantically. Nathan’s bow hand remained down.
Seconds later the boar erupted from the undergrowth. Seven hundred kilos of insane aggression stormed toward Nathan. Its half-meter long tusks could disembowel a four tonne plains buffalo with a single swipe. Moe drew a deep breath, raised her bow, led the target and fired. The shaft flew directly for its heart. An instant before contact the charging beast rocked to its left. The arrow buried itself in the hard bone and gristle of its right shoulder. She blinked in disbelief when the boar continued its headlong charge.
Nathan’s bow hand did not move. The charging mass of death closed to fifty meters. This was not the first time Nathan waited until the last possible moment to shoot. Foolhardy in the extreme; infuriatingly gutsy, but idiotic.
"Shoot, you stupid bastard." Her words rasped between clenched teeth. "Shoot!"
The beast closed to ten meters. With measured poise Nathan crouched slightly, drew back the sixty-kilo bowstring and fired. The shaft scythed through the beast's chest and sliced into its heart. The boar’s tremendous momentum drove it on until, with a final tortured grunt, it staggered and collapsed to the ground. The enormous body kicked up a cloud of fine brown dust, temporarily obscuring Nathan from view.
Moe heard him sneezing as she broke into a sprint. With her blood boiling she rushed to the felled boar. As the dust cleared Nathan sneezed again as she rounded on him.
"What is it with you?" she shouted. "Do you have some kind of death wish?"
He rested on one knee and paid homage to the kill, placing his hand respectfully on the boar's immense head. His eyes tracked to her, his head at a curious angle. "If you never challenge yourself, Moe, you never grow." His expression remained serious for a few moments before a wry smile cut the left side of his face.
Relieved Nathan was unharmed her scowl melted away. Moe shook her head.
"You know Nate, if you try this sort of shit at Mount Kratos, they'll kick you out."
"Why Moe," his voice feigned surprise, "I thought you knew that controlled aggression is the most desired quality in Monitor Corps captains."
She snorted. "I don't know how to break this to you, but you're not a captain."
"Yet."
Moe rolled her eyes in resignation. Their acceptance into the academy had been confirmed. Once there, four years of backbreaking work stood between them and their dreams of graduating as junior officers.
"Just don't forget your friends when you make admiral."
The odd angle of his head returned, this time accompanied by a wrinkled brow. "Who are you again?"
Moe lunged forward, knocking him off his haunches. They hit the ground with a vigorous thump. Her mother's fiery temperament surfaced as she beat playfully on his solid chest. "Who's your best friend? Who's your very best friend?”
"You are, Moe Okuma," he laughed between gasps. "You are my very best friend."
"And don't you forget it." She stared into his beautiful grey eyes. So close and yet so far.
"I will never forget. Now, would my very best friend please remove her knee from my balls?"
“Oh, sorry about that.” Subduing a smirk she struggled to her feet and offered her hand, hauling him to his feet.
"Thanks, very best friend." With exaggerated care he massaged his groin. “You know Mary Ann, you need to watch where you put your knee.”
“Hey, I’ve warned you before about using that girlie name.” Moe's resolutely threatening tone was softened by her smile.
He yielded surrender with raised his hands. “All right, don’t get your knickers in a knot. Mary Okuma Esquire, it is.”
An explosion thundered down the valley and they pivoted to the east. The rumbling echo could only have come from the Penkovsky homestead.
CHAPTER 16
Time: 22nd December, 315 (ASC).
Position: Mullally province. Planet Kastoria.
Status: Under siege.
Caleb Penkovsky surfaced through an ocean of pain. Still alive! Should be dead.
His last memory was of sitting down to lunch. What the hell happened? An explosion. His marine training had taken command without conscious thought. With the blast still ringing in his ears he had pushed back from the table and sprinted to the gun cabinet. The sound of splintering timbers as the front door crashed open, the stomping of hard boots on the stone entrance resounded as he grabbed his hunting rifle. Searing pain racked his body before the blessed relief of oblivion. Finally resurrection restored him to a world of piercing anxiety.
His back felt like it had been scrubbed with a jagged rock dipped in lava. Scavengers rarely used the stun setting on their weapons. At least not on males.
How the devil had these backward scavengers penetrated his hi-tech defenses? Somehow they crossed the two-kilometer zone covered by the defensive net without setting off the alarms.
Low mumblings came from nearby. Caleb kept his sagging head motionless as he forced his eyes open. Through slits he glimpsed Lewis’ unconscious body slumped in the chair beside him. The same coarse, tough rope used on him secured Bernice, Lucy and Livy to sturdy wooden chairs to his left.
Caleb saw that gags had rendered them mute. They were conscious, their faces unmarked and clothing intact. With relief washing over him, he closed his eyes. Everyone was alive. For the time being at least.
Odd. Perhaps the bastards are branching out from their usual hit and run atrocities. Kidnapping Livy, the governor's daughter, could in their tiny minds bring great rewards. If that were the case surely they would have fled with her by now and his family would be dead. Caleb opened his eyes, raised his head and scanned the room.
At his first movement the women’s eyes swung to him. His wife and daughter’s eyes revealed understandable fear but resolute determination. Livy tried to do the same but could not pull it off. He nodded to them.
Two roughnecks stood to one side of the main room talking in low urgent whispers. From their garb Caleb immediately recognized how the scavengers had neutralized his security. Wafers of micro circuitry designed to mask the wearers from sensor detection were embedded into every centimeter of their black harnesses. High stakes military hardware like sensor suppressor harnesses were never made available to the public, let alone to these mongrels. Must have smuggled them in from off planet.
A scavenger noticed Caleb was conscious.
“Hey boss,” he yelled to man who stood by an open window.
A tall, ruggedly built man, with a scruffy red beard, turned from the window and strode to Caleb. Something about this man set Caleb’s nerves on edge. He cleared his throat after red beard yanked the gag from his mouth.
"Where's the boy?" red beard asked without preamble.
Caleb feigned surprise. "Boy? What boy?"
"Caleb Penkovsky." His finger jabbed Caleb’s chest. Red beard identified everyone else with the same pointed finger. "Your son Lewis, your wife Bernice, your daughter Lucilla and your guest Olivia Marshall. Nathan Telford is missing. Where is he?"
Caleb shrugged, displaying a false listlessness. This prick is unusually well informed.
To emphasize his deadly serious intentions Red stepped behind Caleb’s fourteen-year-old daughter. With his gaze locked onto Caleb, he unsheathed a short-bladed dagger from a scabbard attached to his left wrist. Lucy’s eyes bulged when the blade pressed against her throat, drawing a thin scarlet trickle.
"He's h
unting pigs." Although terrified for the safety of his daughter, he could not show weakness to this kind of man. Caleb set his face with the most gruesome smile in his arsenal. "Nathan wouldn't have bothered leaving home to kill pigs if he knew you and your pals were going to visit."
Red’s steely gaze remained fixed on Caleb. A slight glint of respect briefly touched his hard features. Caleb breathed again when red sheathed the dagger.
"When will he return?"
"There's no way of knowing." Red's expression turned menacing, prompting Caleb to continue. "If he tracked his quarry somewhere close to the plantation he would have been back by now. The fact that he isn't probably means he’s ranging far out along the lower plains. If that’s the case he won’t be back until after dark." Caleb hoped the latter were true. Every hour Nathan stayed away increased his chance of survival.
Red said nothing. His eyes defocused as the thousand-meter stare set in.
Another scavenger, short and stocky, marched up to him.
"What are we waiting for boss?" His voice betrayed fear, bordering on panic. "No amount of money is worth hanging around here. Marines could be on their way. Let’s finish up and clear out." The scum glanced at the women.
Red shot him a murderous scowl.
"Shut your mouth, Kroener," he snarled. "You're in deep enough shit as it is."
Kroener's face darkened. "I told you before, I did exactly what you ordered me to do."
Red bared his teeth. "I told you to disable the communication net, not blow it up." Red’s long finger jabbed Kroener's chest with enough force to stagger him. "If this mission turns to shit because of your fuckup, I will personally skin you alive."
