Quest For Earth

by S. E. GILCHRIST

  Dyrke looked as if he intended to argue but about-turned. A sharp snap of his heavy boots and he stalked from the room. She knew he was uncomfortable with her decision and could only hope that what she intended to do would not have any serious consequences for her people. If everyone remained on the Quinnie, they would be safe.

  As soon as the sound of his footsteps faded, Bree appeared in the doorway. One hand gripping the timber so tight the paleness of her bones gleamed sharp through her skin.

  ‘I heard.’

  ‘Bree!’ Sherise rushed to her side and drew her into a hug. ‘How are you? I’ve been worried about you.’

  Bree pulled away from her hold. ‘I’ve been out walking. I like this place, Sherise. I hope you’re not going to do anything to screw up our chance of a new life.’

  Sherise stared at her. What was she talking about? ‘If you heard us speaking, then you know it may not be safe here for you. I want you on the shuttle with Dyrke tomorrow.’

  ‘I’m not going anywhere. Sherise, you can’t look out for me anymore. I need to make my own choices and live with whatever happens.’

  ‘But …’

  Tears filled Bree’s eyes. ‘I’ve been spending some time in the temple. I went to one of their services. It reminds me of home.’

  ‘This isn’t your home.’

  ‘It could be!’ Her voice rang with passion. ‘I need something, don’t you see? Especially now. I hear you’re going to marry Kondo.’

  ‘Kondo was never on my agenda.’

  ‘But Dyrke will push hard. He wants you safe and thinks Kondo is the man to do it.’

  Sherise shook her head, vehemently. ‘It’s not Kondo.’

  There could only ever be one man for her and Kondo was not him. Her thoughts and heart winged to Maaka.

  Had Kondo interpreted her order correctly? Was he, even now, assisting Maaka to escape? What if, even understanding her subtext, he chose to ignore it? It would not be the first time Kondo declined to obey an order given by a Darkon.

  ‘Then it has to be Maaka. I knew something was different about you. You love him.’

  Do I? Is that what all this fear and anguish means?

  Bree touched her arm and Sherise examined her best friend with mounting trepidation. She was thin. Too thin. Her jade-green eyes seemed to burn in her pale face and Sherise read resolution in the firm set of her pointed chin.

  ‘I don’t want to lose you, too,’ Sherise whispered.

  Bree clasped her hands. ‘Ditto. But you do see, don’t you? This is where we go our separate ways.’ A tear dripped onto her cheek.

  ‘Bree, please, I can’t …’ Sherise’s throat constricted and she clung tighter to her friend’s hands.

  ‘You have to.’ Bree smiled through her tears. ‘I’m not like you. I’m no soldier. God, I was a bloody dentist before all this happened.’ She shook her head. ‘I’ve had enough of fighting, of being afraid I’ll die alone, bleeding out in the dirt. I don’t ever want to smell the stench of death again. I can’t go home, I don’t believe it’s possible. And if you get the Quinnie fixed to make the return journey, I won’t go back with you to Darkos. I know there is something waiting for me here, if I can just find it.’ Bree drew in a noisy breath and gave their hands a gentle shake. ‘You have to let me go.’

  ‘I remember when we first met. How long ago it seems now, what with all that we lived through.’ Tears welled and Sherise felt as if she was cracking wide open. ‘You mean more to me than I can ever say.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘Well then.’ Sherise swallowed over the lump in her throat, wanting to haul her friend back to the safety of the Quinnie and lock her away where nothing bad could ever happen to her again. ‘Be safe. Be strong. Remember, keep your personal compu on you at all times. You have only to send a message and I’ll come. If I can’t, I’ll send a squad of Darkon warriors and they will do whatever it takes to get to you.’

  ‘See? You’re the soldier, not me.’ Bree laughed, then hiccupped. ‘I’ll leave you to pack up my gear and send it down on a shuttle. Not that I have a lot. There’s no hurry. I’m not going anywhere special.’

  ‘I will miss you.’ Sherise pulled her best friend into her arms. Grief burned hard and deep as Bree held on tight.

  ‘Watch your back, Sherise. It’s time you started thinking about yourself. Now, go get your man.’

  ***

  Maaka allowed his head to loll towards his chest, his posture stooped, his gait stumbling as two peacekeepers, one male and the other female, frog-marched him down the road. Behind them trooped Rothe and Kondo and his men.

  His skull throbbing as if he had been kicked by a rinocow, Maaka brought his bound hands up to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. The pressure crystallised his thoughts and enabled him to concentrate on initiating his second eyelids.

  Black and grey vanished into a green-tinted world with pulsing red identifying the heat signatures of the living creatures within his field of vision. Apart from their small party, the streets were deserted, with the citizens tucked safe within their homes.

  A quick encompassing scan of his surrounds and he realised they were heading for the Corporation building. Interesting—were all prisoners incarcerated within those walls? He had not failed to notice the massive metal door at the bottom of the stairwell when he had visited the building in his guise of a Darkon soldier. He suspected that further rooms, possibly entire levels, were built beneath.

  Perhaps even the research chambers where his species had been created.

  If Sherise had not been with him he would have investigated further. Now it appeared he would experience firsthand whatever secrets the Corporation hid.

  They tramped down another laneway.

  He heard his companions’ breathing, loud and quick. He sucked in air and caught the smell of tension oozing from their pores. A few more blocks and the building would be within view.

  Time to make his move.

  By Leon’s beard, it could well be my last if Kondo fails to assist.

  Maaka swung his right leg sideways to hook the male peacekeeper behind the knees. The man stumbled, his grip loosened.

  Maaka pivoted and slammed his foot into the female’s kneecap. With a shriek she collapsed onto the ground.

  In a low crouch, he continued his turn, his hands curled into fists, ready to smash across the face of his remaining captors.

  But Kondo had a grin as wide as the horizon on his face and held one hand in the air as if to say ‘stop’.

  Rothe already lay crumpled in a heap on the road. In a casual gesture, Kondo aimed his stunner and blasted the male guard. Kade swore, struggled to stand on her uninjured leg, then Kondo turned his gun on her. Her eyes rolled up into her head and she fell heavily.

  ‘Are they dead?’ Maaka said, his eyes on the woman.

  ‘Stunned.’

  ‘An alliance then?’ Maaka held out his bound hands.

  Kondo stepped forward and released the shackles. ‘You have my word.’

  But for how long would the alien’s word hold true? ‘I’d like to hear your reasons.’

  ‘I swore an oath to protect Sherise and I will do so. I don’t believe we can ever return to our own world and I do not like this city. I believe she is not safe here.’ Kondo jerked his chin toward the nearest light-pole. ‘There is something in the atmosphere that makes my gut roll over. And listening to my gut has saved my life in the past.’

  Maaka also stared at the pole. ‘They will be watching us.’

  ‘That they will. I surmise three minutes maximum before more militia arrive.’

  Maaka crossed to Kade’s recumbent form and gently unwound her fingers from the hilts of his weapons and un-slung his belt from around her shoulder. A few seconds later, he breathed a sigh of satisfaction as he cinched his belt buckle.

  ‘The men I have here on the ground are awaiting us, well hidden near the shuttle port.’ Kondo shifted his weight, gravel crunching beneath his boots. ‘We need t
o be well beyond the city limits before the Darkons are advised of my actions. Dyrke will not take the division of his force with forbearance.’

  ‘You do not mention Sherise.’

  ‘I know you are going after her.’

  ‘True.’ Maaka rubbed the top of his head while he considered how to get to Sherise before she was arrested. He couldn’t risk leaving her behind. Not now. Once his escape was discovered, the Board would be seeking someone to punish. Even if they alienated the Star People, he knew they would make an example of his sweet Sherise. He attempted to send her a telepathic message but couldn’t make a connection. The distance between them must be too great. ‘Kondo, if my people are to survive, we must have recourse to stronger weapons. We need more than warriors. What can we access from your ship?’

  ‘The Quinnie contains our full arsenal but we will never be allowed on board now without Dyrke’s authorisation. I have ordered the remainder of my men still on the ship to take control of three shuttles and meet us at the Freebers’ settlement. This will give us medie tubes, a limited supply of long range nix strikes, uron explosives and plitza guns. That is the best I can do for you.’ Kondo spat onto the ground. ‘No armour—the Darkons keep their technology close. Our protective coverings are nothing compared to the protection afforded by their armour.’

  ‘Only three shuttles?’

  ‘Too many were damaged on our journey to this planet and repairs have yet to be completed. We will take the shuttle parked in the landing area. Another shuttle is already in-bound from the Quinnie. It should arrive in a few hours. Come morning, the Corporation may well issue an order to imprison the Darkons. I will not leave them without a method of withdrawal.’

  ‘You are a man of honour.’

  ‘On my terms, yes.’

  ‘What of these deputies, here?’

  Kondo considered the comatose guards. ‘A couple of your hours and they will awaken.’

  ‘Let us move fast.’

  Chapter 21

  Her breath came fast and choppy as Sherise ran down the street, taking care to keep in the shadows as much as possible. Her heart galloped madly and a sharp pain twinged in her side. She stumbled to a halt, pushed her hand hard against the pain and leaned backwards, attempting to stretch it out.

  How long until dawn and the sleeping city awoke?

  She straightened and shoved aside her sleeve, activating a tracking device. Kondo’s signature and several unknowns flashed on the small hologram floating in the air above her arm. She gasped. The signal was moving toward her position.

  What had happened? Had Maaka already been delivered to his prison and Kondo was heading … where? Or had Kondo also been arrested and the militia taking him to a prison close by?

  She cast a wild look around and spotted a narrow gap between two buildings where she might just squeeze into. It would have to do. There was no time to find another hiding place.

  A few seconds later, she was wedged in sideways between the houses, compu switched off. She held her breath, listening. She could hear the footsteps now. She frowned, attempting to work out how many people approached, but they were taking care not to make too much noise.

  They were almost upon her.

  Something crawled over her hand where she pressed against the wall. She flicked it off, causing her satchel to scrap over the stone.

  The footsteps stopped.

  Sherise inched her hand down toward where her stunner lay snug in its holster, wishing she’d had the forethought to release it before she’d put herself in this situation. Her scalp prickled. A sensation like tender fingertips brushing against her skin fluttered into her mind. Maaka. He was here.

  All is well, Sherise. Come out.

  She scraped past the wall and emerged, her hand immediately dropping to her weapon … only to have her shoulders gripped by strong hands.

  ‘Where were you going?’ Maaka glared down into her upturned face.

  ‘To rescue you.’ She leaned back and peered around him, recognising Kondo.

  ‘There was no need. I had all in hand.’

  ‘We have no time,’ growled Kondo.

  Maaka released her shoulders to catch her hand in his. ‘Let’s go.’

  ‘Wait! I have no intention of accompanying you.’

  ‘Do not be foolish, Sherise. The peacekeepers are on their way to arrest you.’ Maaka tugged her hand.

  Kondo walked past them and stared down the narrow space between the buildings. ‘Where is Bree? Why isn’t she with you?’

  ‘She intends to remain in the city.’

  ‘Your actions will place her in danger. She must leave with us,’ Kondo said.

  ‘My actions? You are the one who helped Maaka to escape.’

  ‘On your orders. Or are you going to pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about?’

  I’d forgotten how much this Relic annoys me. Sherise shot him a haughty look. ‘Dyrke will ensure her safety.’

  ‘You are wasting time.’ Maaka flung his hand in the direction of the Fallen City. ‘We must be beyond the dome by the breaking of the day which will occur within the hour.’

  ‘Then do not let me detain you.’ At the growl that emanated from his throat, Sherise licked her lips. ‘I will return to the Quinnie with Dyrke.’

  ‘Whatever you intend to do cannot wait until the morning.’ Kondo stared down the street.

  And Sherise heard the unmistakable tramp of booted feet. He was right. Leaving with Maaka and Kondo was preferable to the possibility of imprisonment. She would send a message to Dyrke and get him to pick her up from the settlement. ‘Very well. I hope you have a plan. We may find the peacekeepers waiting for us at the landing area.’

  They broke into a run with Maaka leading the way. He must have visited the city many times, for he seemed to have no difficulty guiding them through the winding roads.

  He led them down yet another road, then took a lane way off to the left where he stopped outside a large allotment where several transporters were parked.

  ‘There are no guards,’ Sherise gasped, pressing a hand to her racing heart.

  ‘The Corporation has become complacent over the years, believing none would dare defy their laws. This has always worked to my advantage.’ Maaka pointed at the transporter closest to the road. ‘We will take that one.’

  ‘Can you drive it?’ Kondo looked dubiously at the vehicle that was similar to the one Sherise had seen them leave the landing bay in a few days ago.

  ‘No, but you will.’

  Kondo cursed.

  They piled into the seats. Sherise kept flicking glances at the vid-cams, expecting at any moment for the peacekeepers to appear and open fire.

  Within a few back-breaking moments they were on their way out of the city, with Kondo muttering over the steering mechanism. The short journey was enlivened by several stops, grinding of gears and the shrill whistling of steam from the funnel. But Sherise ignored it as she sent a message to Dyrke to get their people back to the Quinnie and then another to Bree begging her to go with Dyrke.

  When they reached the port, Kondo stopped the transporter several yards from the entrance to the landing area. Sherise clambered to the ground and activated her personal sensors. Maaka joined her and looked over her shoulder as multiple unknown heat signatures registered.

  ‘The area is guarded,’ she said quietly. She pointed to three figures. ‘These here are Darkons and the orange colour indicates they are unconscious.’

  ‘Remain here.’ Maaka nodded to Kondo, who gestured to his men who’d been waiting for their return, and together they slipped quietly inside the landing zone.

  Sherise heard the short zapping bursts of plitza fire and moments later Maaka reappeared and beckoned her forward.

  They hurried over to the shuttle, which had already been powered up, and climbed on board. Sherise sank into the nearest empty chair and shrugged the harness over her shoulders. A quick glance and she realised Maaka had no need of assistance. He sat relaxed, arm
s crossed over his chest, his head against the back rest of the seat. The satisfied expression on his face caused her to bite her lip and turn aside.

  For the moment all was going according to his plan, but Sherise had no intention of remaining in the Outworld. The first chance she got, she would commandeer a shuttle and return to the Quinnie.

  He might be the mate of my heart but that does not mean he is master of my life.

  She could not fail to remember how there had been no tender words from Maaka, no pleas from him to join his world. No, he had been all business, all arrogant demands. Cool, confident and terrifyingly remote. Especially hard for her to accept when she could still feel the heat of his naked skin against hers, the bliss of his urgent thrusting into her sheath and the heavy pounding of his heart as they had joined.

  He could be a different man.

  It made her thankful she had not uttered any words of affection.

  She spared another look in his direction. He had closed his eyes. Was that a smirk on his face? She hunched her shoulders and concentrated on her heaving stomach while the shuttle lifted into the sky.

  ***

  The clamps jolted into place and the shuttle’s engines whined into a soft purr before shutting down. The silence lasted a minute, no more, before the cabin was filled with the clatter and bustle of soldiers releasing their harnesses and retrieving their holdalls.

  They stood aside to allow Sherise and Maaka to exit.

  Once on the ground, she cast a morose look at her surroundings. The Fallen City had not improved in her absence; if anything it looked more sinister than ever in the stark light provided by the bright morning sun. At least no wind howled through the shattered buildings to stir up dust and debris.

  ‘Aren’t we heading to the Freebers’ settlement?’ She frowned as she spied two other shuttles from the Quinnie.

  ‘Later. First, I want to speak to my men. They’ve been out on scouting parties the past few days.’ Maaka took her arm and led her into the building she recognised as his headquarters. He remained silent and she was more than content to be left alone with her thoughts while they trudged up the stairs. She needed to decide how she would slip unnoticed back to the shuttle.