by Aer-ki Jyr
“Beneficial?” Esna asked.
“Your body will respond to this by making you stronger,” Rammak explained. “Training effect far more intense than you’ve experienced before. The downside is you can’t go through things like this very often, because they also cause some damage.”
“Enjoy the soreness you’ll feel in a few hours,” Javvin said sarcastically as he placed his armored hand on her helmet. “We’re proud of you. Now get some rest.”
Before Esna could say anything she felt Rammak pick her up again. She didn’t complain, letting him carry her back up into the cave as her body continued to suck up the precious seconds of rest she was getting…for it was still expecting another run, and just sitting and doing nothing next to the shower tube that she was too tired to drag herself into for nearly an hour was the most blissful thing she’d ever felt.
20
The next day was free of training for Esna as Rammak insisted that she needed to further rest even after getting a long sleep. She wasn’t going to argue for her body hurt everywhere, and while parts of her had improved the soreness had set in and even simple movements had become painful. That said, she was still feeling good. Better than good, actually, and as the suns went down for the planet’s brief night she sat a couple meters in from the edge of the drop off with her back leaned against the speeder. Her armor was off and as the cooling breeze hit her exposed face and bare feet it made her body feel as serene as her mind was.
The guilt hadn’t returned, burnt out of her by the challenge and Javvin’s words had stuck with her. Once she stopped mentally kicking herself the internal conflict had ceased and she’d realized the difference between forgetting and moving on. You didn’t have to be alright with something to move on, you just had to have your business with it finished. She couldn’t go back and save those Brendilin she had killed, so there was nothing left for her to do aside from making sure she never found herself in that situation again.
And she wouldn’t, despite who was around her. She knew the truth now and could never go back to being ignorant. Her heart and head were now squared away, but as she sat soaking in the cooling breeze while Rammak was in one of the back rooms and Javvin was out doing whatever it was he did when roaming, Esna realized something else in her had changed.
Javvin had said she’d gone through a rite of passage, and while a lot of that challenge was a blur she knew that she’d pressed herself beyond any previous effort levels, breaking through an invisible wall that now seemed to open up a future of possibilities to her. She no longer knew what her limits were, and that thrilled Esna. She did not want to try that challenge again, but she wasn’t going to have to. It was over, she’d succeeded, and now she was resting before moving on to the next one, whatever it would end up being.
But something was missing, and it took her a while sitting there and thinking before she realized what it was.
The pain of Teren’s death was gone. She’d been carrying it with her like a constant companion ever since she’d joined Rammak on this crazy journey across the planet, but along with her guilt it seemed the challenge had burned it out of her as well and she took a moment to try and understand why.
The memory of his death was still unpleasant and plenty vivid, but the anger it usually instilled couldn’t overcome the coolness of the breeze and her tranquility wasn’t disturbed. Esna ran through many memories that had previously caused her to burn inside…memories that she’d tried to avoid…but even they were lacking the ability to infuriate her. When she got to the bittersweet memories of her years with Teren prior to his death that usually tugged at her heart, she realized that they were now empty.
That surprised her, but before she could worry about losing her emotional connection to her brother Esna realized it was already gone.
No, not gone, just dormant. He would always be her brother, but for the first time she didn’t miss him or her time spent with him. That was in her past now and, honestly, she didn’t want to go back.
Her next thought was that she was somehow betraying him by even thinking that, but what Rammak had said about not knowing where a person came from or where they went when they died came back into mind and stuck there. It took several minutes of mulling it over until she realized her time with her brother was done. He was heading a different direction now, whatever it was, and she couldn’t go with him. The lingering wish to have died in that same attack was long gone as well. She didn’t want to die, nor did she want to go back to Yammar and Innit and her life there. That was her past, and after everything Rammak had shown and taught her she knew she’d never fit in there again.
She didn’t belong on this planet anymore. Esna wasn’t Star Force like Rammak was, but she wasn’t a ‘local’ either. She was something else right now, but it was what she would become in the future that now drove her. Teren was behind her, and while going through that challenge her link to him, this planet, and her previous life had been permanently cut.
Now Esna was just herself. This body sitting on the edge of a drop off as the planet shifted into night, not knowing if she’d live to see tomorrow and in constant pain from the running she’d done yesterday…but there was nowhere else she would rather be. She felt alive, as if her mind had been closed before and was slowly opening the longer she spent time with Rammak, and now Javvin too.
Even if she could go back and avoid the Viks, she couldn’t now. It wasn’t that she’d just put it behind her. Her growth had made her incompatible with this world. Teren and her had never liked it here, but the thought of going back actually scared her a little bit. She didn’t want to lose everything that she’d gained, and for the first time she understood why Rammak had lived by himself. He didn’t belong with the people on this planet because he was better than them…and now she was too, at least enough to make her feel completely disconnected from them.
Them and her brother. Esna didn’t dislike her brother, but as she had grown she’d been leaving him behind bit by bit and now she was out of his league. Teren could have made it this far too, she thought, but there was no way for him to do that now…so she had a choice. Keep him in her mind and preserve their bond as it was, not growing or changing and just trying to keep things the same, or she could let him go and see how far she could make it.
And after that challenge there was no question what she would do, because she knew this was where she belonged. Whatever little part of Star Force was here with Rammak, it was enough for her and she couldn’t imagine living without it now.
“Goodbye, Teren,” she whispered to the stars that were now showing in the sliver of night sky visible through the dark rocks. “Wish me luck.”
Esna leaned her head back and closed her eyes, letting the breeze slowly lull her into a numb sleep until Javvin’s voice sounded in her mind.
Be still. We are coming up. Do not shout.
Esna frowned as she sat up, a little perturbed at her reputation as a shrieker but appreciating the heads up before he the Protovic popped into view again. She listened closely and heard the faint sounds of someone climbing the rock wall up to her position, but the red/black armor that appeared a moment later wasn’t Javvin’s. The head was huge and pointed straight up off the shoulders, making her flinch backwards but fortunately she was able to hold her tongue as the quadruped climbed up to her left, followed a moment later as Javvin came up right in front of her feet.
Rammak came out of the back as Esna stood up and slid over the speeder to the other side to make more room, for with the four of them standing there it was quite cramped with the huge new addition to the trio. Whatever he was, he stood almost as tall as Rammak’s shoulder, but the bulk of his body came from his horizontal back and thick legs that stretched out so far he could barely fit on the rocky platform beyond the speeder.
“This is Nor’far, my Maverick partner for this mission and many others,” Javvin explained, then seeing the perplexed look on Esna’s faced added, “He’s Scionate.”
The armor over
the quadruped’s face peeled back revealing the yellowish/gold skin surrounding the snout and teeth of a giant hairless tiger.
“They know your approximate heading,” the Scionate said in a peculiar accent, but still in words Esna could understand. “There is a Zen’zat 60 miles southeast of here and another further north. Their ship is currently far to the south over the mountains, so they may be following multiple leads, but the Zen’zat near here is too close to be a coincidence. We need to leave immediately,” he said, looking at Esna’s white Archon uniform. “Are you injured, Human?”
“What? No, I’m not.”
“You move stiffly.”
“Training,” she said with a sarcastic smirk as she marveled at the huge Maverick, for she’d never seen a race even close to this Scionate before.
“She’s too slow anyway,” Javvin said, glancing at the other two. “If we are being tracked in some rudimentary form we can’t risk bringing you to our ship. It’s the only way off this planet, so I will go to it and bring it to you, but I must leave now.”
“Why didn’t he bring it?” Esna asked, sensing a problem.
“Because you two have to keep moving and the speeder is no longer an option.”
“The entrance to the caves is only a few kilometers ahead,” Rammak pointed out.
“No,” Nor’far said firmly. “We need distance, and for that we need speed. When Javvin arrives with the ship we will be vulnerable and have to race to orbit. The further away the Zen’zat and their ship are the more chance we have of escaping.”
“I assume it’s cloaked?” Rammak asked.
“It is,” the Scionate answered, “but the V’kit’no’sat have gotten very good at monitoring atmospheric displacement to track us in atmosphere. We have to get to space to get clear, and even then we need distance or they will be able to pick us up at short range.”
“When you bring it to us?”
“If your location is under enhanced scrutiny they might discover us prior to arriving, so we need to rendezvous far from here but your vehicle is too easy to track. We have to go on foot.”
“Which is why I have to go and he will travel with you,” Javvin said. “We’ve arranged a location to the southwest that we think will be a mutual intersection point. It’ll take me four or five days to get to our ship, then I’ll fly it there and wait for you. Hopefully you’ll be there within a day of that, if you can move quickly enough…and that will be determined by how fast Rammak can move.”
“I understand,” the Calavari said. “Go.”
Javvin nodded at him and lightly punched Nor’far in his armored shoulder, then he turned and jumped out of the cave entrance and fell into the night, disappearing from view and off the battlemap.
“You have done well to survive this long, Commando. What is your current condition?”
“Adequate. How far must we go?”
“1472 miles, not taking into account terrain variations, but the bulk of our travel will be on the plains.”
“Will our armor be sufficient to avoid detection?”
“Anything but a close scan, assuming hers if the same model as yours. If they know our location and take a focused look they will find us, but if not we should be able to run in the open and defeat their widespread scans, though we will have to avoid population centers and trade routes. Many of them have spies actively hunting for you.”
“How are you set for food?” Rammak asked.
“Adequate. Carry only what you need for this mission and travel as light as possible. We need to leave now.”
“Esna,” Rammak said, looking over at her. “Ten minutes to pack, and I’m going to need you to carry some of my gear.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m going to be the slowest and the faster I can move the more ground we can cover.”
“I’m the slowest,” she reminded him, wondering how he could overlook that.
“Which is why I am here and not Javvin,” Nor’far explained. “I will carry you.”
“He can run far faster than me, even with you on his back. I will be the slow one, therefore I must be as light as possible. Pack only foodstuffs and water. Leave all other gear behind. We need to survive a handful of days, so carry nothing for beyond that. We either get off the planet now or we don’t get off it at all.”
Esna gulped, but she nodded her understanding. “How will you carry me?”
“On my back,” the Scionate said with a hint of sarcasm.
“How do I keep from falling off?”
“Use your adhesive panels on your legs and lock them in place. You won’t fall off.”
“I don’t know how to use those.”
“I’ll show you, but we need to get moving quickly. The longer we stay the greater the chance of the Zen’zat detecting us before we get beyond their search corridor.”
“Packing…right,” Esna said, walking through the doorway and into the backroom that held the shower tube with her armor pieces piled beside it. She got it back on a bit slowly, for she was really stiff and sore, but at least she wouldn’t be the one running now.
Once Esna got her helmet locked in place she got her pack and started emptying things out of it and stuffing in more supplies, knowing that if Rammak had to run the whole way he was going to need a lot of food…and especially water. The more she could carry the better, but she didn’t know about the Maverick. He had a pack stretched across his back too, but how much could he carry in addition to her?
Rammak came back to meet her and handed her a single rifle and box of spare ammunition.
“That’s all?”
“Speed is our weapon now. Leave all of yours behind save for a pistol. If we have to fight, we’ve already lost.”
“So why take them at all?”
“In case we run into something other than Zen’zat.”
“Right,” Esna said, pulling the rest of her weapons off the rack that rode over her pack. She kept her pistol and added Rammak’s rifle, leaving the rest of the attachment spots empty and lighter than normal…meaning she could carry some more water if she could find a way to fit it inside her pack.
“I will carry your food and water,” Nor’far said, squeezing through the doorway easily enough. His width wasn’t any greater than the Calavari whom these chambers had been hollowed out for, but he wasn’t going to be able to turn around very quickly. “Travel in nothing but your armor.”
“I’m not exactly light,” Esna warned.
“I will be running slowly to keep pace with the Calavari. It will not be a concern.”
“Give him everything you can’t fit, Esna. And I apologize for the timing.”
“What?”
“Your soreness is going to increase.”
She frowned heavily, not wanting to hear that, then realized what he meant when she looked at the Scionate. If he was running then she was going to get bounced around with every stride.
“I’ll manage. You’ve got the hard part,” she said, continuing to pack. When hers was full to the brim she slung it behind her back and attached it to her armor, using the powered setting to help her stand up straight, then she began fishing out items for Nor’far…who grabbed them telekinetically and flew them into an opening on his pack.
Esna blinked in surprise, but didn’t waste time with further questions. She filled up as many containers of water as she could, then held up a small water spire.
“No,” Rammak said. “We won’t be stopping long enough to need it.”
“You have to sleep at some point.”
“No more than a few hours.”
“I have one if we need it,” Nor’far said, “but we won’t. I’ll carry enough for both of us.”
“Alright,” she said, putting it down on the table as she grabbed some more food cubes and pushed them Nor’far’s way.
“Sufficient,” Rammak finally said. “If you need to relieve yourself do so now. We won’t be stopping for a long time.”
“Ok,” she said, seeing him
heading there first, which made sense considering he’d be the one running. She took her turn next then said a silent goodbye to the shower tube as she passed it. She was missing the warm water already, but if sitting through a painful ride was what it took to get off this planet then so be it. Between the three of them she had it easiest by far.
“Ready?” Rammak asked when she came out to the platform next to the speeder.
“Yes,” she said, carrying the slightly heavier than normal pack on her back.
“Come,” Nor’far said, with Esna suddenly being lifted off the ground by an invisible force and dragged through the air near the ceiling top until she was over the Scionate, then he dropped her on top of his pack. “Connect to the side of my armor with your feet only. You will need your joints free to absorb the movement.”
Rammak accessed Esna’s HUD and showed her the proper commands, with her armored boots sticking to the side of the red/black armor on command so strongly it felt like they were glued on. She experimented with the release, having them come off easy enough, then resecured them and bounced up and down a bit as she sat on top of Nor’far’s stiff but not totally hard pack.
“What about my hands?”
“Leave them free, but brace yourself against my back when needed.”
“What if I fall backwards?”
“Use your legs to right yourself and lean forward when going uphill to avoid that, though right now just grab onto the underside of your own legs to steady your torso.”
Esna slid her hands underneath her thighs and found that helped quite a bit. “Ok.”
“Are you ready?” Nor’far asked Rammak.
“I am,” he said, standing in his armor without a weapon rack or a pack, which meant he should be at his fastest.
Suddenly a set of coordinates and waypoints to get there flashed onto his and Esna’s HUD.
“You set the pace and I will follow,” Nor’far said, with Rammak immediately disappearing over the edge of the drop off and beginning to climb down. The Scionate let him get partway before suddenly jumping out into the darkness and falling past him.
