by T. J. Quinn
With trembling hands, he took the dead men's weapons and stowed their bodies behind some bushes. He put the extra weapons in his pouch and holstered one of the two he was using. As he turned to open the barracks door, he sensed Luran was moving toward the door. A Tregan was dragging her.
Hankura reached into her mind to share his plan.
Surprise and excitement echoed back through his mind as she felt his mental touch. Hankura, how?
Never mind! Do as I ask, and I'll get you out.
Luran questioned no further. Just before the Tregan started out the door, she planted her feet and threw her weight backward. As the soldier turned to grab her with both hands, Hankura shot him. As the soldier fell, Hankura grabbed Luran's wrist and pulled her out the doorway, slamming the door shut behind her.
He motioned for her to help him stow the third body behind the bushes with the others. Then he handed her two of his collected weapons and questioned her without speaking:
How many more guards? Where are they stationed?
Four. They're supposed to be on watch in the compound, but they come to use us this time each day.
Hankura's eyes narrowed, and he was filled with a cold fury. He drew a calming breath and let it out, clearing his mind to consider their next move. Once he devised a plan, he shared it with Chelle and Dana, and the other two telepaths inside. They passed the unspoken message to several of the Normal crew women. Then they waited, looking to Chelle for the next signal. Her mind was open to Hankura now, and she waited, too. Moments passed, and they hardly dared to breathe. Then, Chelle jumped up from her filthy pallet and seized Tira by the arm. She dragged her friend up to her feet with all the strength she could muster.
Tira, play the game. It means our lives. Chelle flashed images into the Zevian's mind as their eyes met. Then she slapped Tira's face and shook her. "You little bitch! I'm sick of you watching me all the time. I'm sick of this stinking place, and I'm sick of you." Understanding what was expected, Tira began to struggle convincingly with Chelle. At the same time, some other altercations exploded into a brawl that brought all four guards running.
Outside, Hankura glanced at Luran. Lady, I know you hated target practice as much as I did, but I hope you still know how to shoot straight. It had been a long time since weapons training classes for all of them.
I'll have no trouble hitting them! Luran assured him with a fierce gleam in her brown eyes.
Hankura nodded and flung open the door. Guards had run from four directions to stop the women's brawl. Hankura and Luran charged into the chaos and took careful aim so as not to hit the Zevians or the crew women. Three Tregans went down to laser fire, but a fourth drew his laser and took aim at Hankura.
Chelle saw him and reached for the dagger in her boot. With a fierce cry, she lunged and drove it deep into the Tregan's back. Blood spurted on her hands; the Tregan's shot went wild and hit the ceiling. He grunted in pained surprise, choking on his own blood, crumpled to the floor and died.
Chelle sank to her knees and stared at the blood on her hands. She trembled with weakness and shock. After a moment, she rose and wiped the blood on her dress. As she looked up, she met the eyes of her husband and took a tentative step toward him. Before she could reach him, she was swept into a group of women who hugged her and praised her for the brave thing she had done.
For a moment, Chelle felt herself transported back to Earth, to the past. She was a child of the streets of Farringay where she'd fought the vicious gang wars with her brother Jerry. Then she hadn't acted quickly enough. Jerry was killed. Killing the man who did it had brought her little satisfaction because Jerry was still dead. Chelle mentally shook herself.
Hankura was alive. His eyes were bright with emotion as he made his way through the crowd of women toward her. Chelle hardly noticed the scraggly beard that covered his jaw and slightly cleft chin. As she stared into his emerald eyes, her own filled with tears. Suddenly, she wasn't so sure she could face this man who had shared her life so intimately for the last seven years. She felt defiled and somehow unworthy after what Stag and Mograton had done to her. Hankura felt her reluctance, but he didn't hesitate. Laser still clutched in his hand, he folded her into his arms and buried his face in her hair, tangled and dirty, dulled by neglect. After a moment, he leaned back to look at her. The rag she wore barely covered her, and her face was gaunt and bruised. And, Mother, she was nearly skin and bone!
But she was alive! Mother, thank the gods she was alive!
Chelle trembled under his gaze and tears streamed down her cheeks. "Goddess, Hankura! I can't believe you're really here after . . .."
"Stagg and Mograton?" he finished bitterly and pulled her close again. She started to sob against his shoulder. "Shh, shhh." He rocked her in his arms and stroked her tangled hair. "They won't ever hurt you again. I killed them---the bleeping sludge worms."
"Oh, Hankura!" She raised her eyes to his in a troubled look.
I know. I can't even consider what I've done. It's not over, either. We're going to have to fight our way out if we want to stay alive. His mouth tightened into a thin line as he let his thoughts tell her what he could not give voice to. The pain would come later when he was no longer numbed by desperation to the bitter duty that had fallen on his shoulders.
Hankura holstered his laser and gently released Chelle. He squatted down beside the guard she had killed and took the laser from his hand. He stripped the weapons belt from the body and gave it to Chelle with the laser. She took the weapons without comment and strapped the belt loosely over her now boyishly slender hips. The holster hung low over her upper thigh, but it would do.
As Hankura watched her, he noticed the trickle of blood down her inner thigh and bit out an oath... He wanted to kill Stagg and Mograton all over again for perversions that had injured her so. Yet it wouldn't wipe the pain from her eyes or the memories from their minds.
"Don't think about that now." Hankura jumped up and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you. Nothing they did to you could ever change that. Nothing ever will change what I feel for you." Tears filled his eyes. The mingling of their pain was nearly overwhelming, but he was soothed by the warmth of her embrace. He felt her reaching into his mind, reaching beyond their ordeal. He smiled faintly and blinked back his tears as she sent the image of a big blue yarrel flower into his mind. It was their private symbol of the love that had blossomed between them since that first meeting of their minds. In that love, they found a well of inner strength that would continue to sustain them as it had the past fifteen days.
"We're getting out of here, or we'll die trying," Chelle vowed. "I won't let them touch me again."
"We're getting out alive!" Hankura asserted. His grim determination made Chelle believe him. All they had to do was figure out how.
CHAPTER SEVEN
On the Run
Hankura and Chelle helped organize the women into smaller groups. These groups moved through the compound and proceeded to assassinate the rest of the guards. They were easy to take by surprise because they never expected an attack from within. With the guards out of the way, Hankura and twenty-nine women lay waiting for the other two companies of dog soldiers to return. One company had gone into the desert on a reconnaissance mission. The other company was guarding the male prisoners who were on a work detail outside Elran to construct a makeshift landing pad.
Just after dark, Hankura heard the whine of a transporter engine, announcing the return of one Tregan company. Except for the company guarding the men, no others were due back for several days. As the big air transporter drew near, the escapees dove for cover. Hankura watched anxiously as the vehicle settled to the ground at the center of the compound. He waited nearly two full minutes, expecting armed soldiers to start filing out of the vehicle. Nothing happened.
The Aledan frowned. Then he began to suspect why no one came out. Holding his laser poised, he got up. Chelle put her hand on his thigh and looked up at him with a silent question. As he shared his suspic
ions, she frowned, too. Hankura moved forward slowly, hesitated outside the portal, and cocked his head as though he were listening. Then he pressed the button to open the hatch. Even his suspicions hadn't prepared him for what he saw. He stared for several seconds in disbelief.
"It's all right," he called softly to the others. "They're all dead."
Once past the initial shock, Hankura didn't bother to ponder who had killed the Tregans and sent them back to Elran. He took it for a lucky break and climbed into the transporter, avoiding the bodies as much as possible. He collected all the weapons he could find. Combined with the others he'd collected, there would be enough hand lasers and ion rifles for everyone strong enough to handle them. Since he started the escape, he had simply fallen in charge of the situation. Now, as ranking officer from the Searching Star, he took firm control of the operation. He set up a plan of action and sent some of the women to find and distribute food to the others. Soon the other company would bring the rest of the prisoners back to camp. He wanted everyone to feel as strong as possible.
The wait was tedious, but Hankura knew they needed the time to eat and rest. Most of the others were too anxious to rest, and sensing their anxiety made it hard for Hankura to remain calm. Finally, they heard the whine of two more Tregan transporters. This time they were larger ones full of prisoners and guards. Hankura used his psi to signal Captain Beras and Delmran. Then, he waited some more.
Behind some rubble across the compound, Communications officer Dana waited patiently with two Zevian women for the transporter to be unloaded. As the men started to file out of the craft, a Tregan guard started beating a young man. The Zevian woman beside Dana raised her rifle and took aim at the Tregan. The man being beaten was her younger brother. Dana understood her feelings, but she put her hand on the woman's shoulder just in time to keep her from firing.
"Wait."
When the last man was closed safely inside the barracks, Hankura signaled them, and Dana let the Zevian woman kill the Tregan still in her sights. There was pandemonium as the Tregans tried to dodge laser fire coming from all directions. This only hastened their demise.
When the weapons' fire stopped, Luran jumped up from her hiding place and ran toward the men's barracks. She flung open the door and shouted:
"Look alive, you men! We're getting the hell out of here!"
They needed no further invitation to come pouring out of the building as the other women drifted into the compound. As the men came outside, they began searching the little group for loved ones. Some found them, and some didn't.
Luran waited impatiently beside the door for her mate, Cran. She knew he was there; she could feel his essence. As he strode through the doorway, Luran threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely.
"You look awful," she choked as a lump rose in her throat.
"You've looked better, love," the big man rasped. "But it's good to see you---to hold you. I thought I would never get to hold you again."
As he leaned back to look down into her face, there was a feral light in his violet eyes that she had never seen before. She felt the burning hatred raging in his thoughts.
"If I could just kill one of those lizards . . .." For a moment, Luran saw herself through his eyes---stringy blond hair, blackened eyes, bruises on her throat, pale white skin. He couldn't feel her pain as she felt his, but he could see it in her amber eyes. Luran could feel his anguish compound her own.
"Cran, don't. I'll be all right. We're alive, and we're going to get out of here," she told him fervently. "They hurt you, too." Tears trickled down her cheeks, and she wiped them away with the heel of her hand. "Come on. Let's get on with this before I really start blubbering." She tried to give him a smile, but couldn't quite master it.
"Or we both do." Cran cupped a big hand gently to her cheek and kissed her forehead. When he let her out of his embrace, she handed him one of her laser guns. He examined it briefly and nodded, then drew her close to his side. They walked to the corner of the earthen quadrangle where Captain Beras was organizing their final escape procedure.
Now that Chelle was freed, Hankura was glad to relinquish command. He and Chelle were needed to tend the sick and wounded.
Sixty-four of the ship's crew was all that survived out of one-hundred-forty-five. Twenty-five crew women had died in the initial attack, and two had been murdered in the Tregan prison camp. Only sixteen were left. Sixty-four crew and some seventy Zevians were left to carry out the daring plan for escape made by Captain Beras, Engineer Cran, and military combat specialist Delmran. They were going to steal a Tregan warship to take the crew and the Zevians, who had never been in space, off Zevus Mar.
Two Tregan transporters were loaded with dead Tregans to get them out of sight. Hankura helped some of the men drag two dead Tregans from the third transporter. Then they used this craft to carry themselves and the rest of the escapees to a sheltered spot near the Tregan warship. When the transporter landed, Beras sent Cran and Delmran ahead to stalk and secure the ship. The other three groups walked quietly a dozen meters behind them in the cloak of darkness.
Some twenty Tregans stood less than fifty meters from the far side of the ship. They were getting ready to settle in for the night. Cran found the switch to open the hatch, while Delmran covered his back. By the time the main group arrived, Cran had the main hatch open, and the loading ramp extended. Delmran stood watch while Cran ran to the bridge to study the foreign controls. Captain Beras arrived with the second smaller group. He ordered Luran and Lesta to find quarters for the Zevians.
Chelle and Hankura brought up the rear of the last group. They were assigned to help Lesta and Luran to settle the Zevians into temporary quarters and search out any food and medical supplies they could find.
Kal, the second engineer, reported that the ship was fully functional and heavily armed for battle. As Jabe established a force field around the ship, the others found duty stations that corresponded to those they'd held on the Searching Star. Dana and Farlden deciphered the ship's com system and began contacting the various stations for reports.
When Kal fired up the engines for lift off, the Tregans commed to confirm launch orders. When they were given no response, they stormed the ship. Jabe increased the force field perimeter and wiped them out in mid-step.
"Too bad, fellas. You owe us a few, anyway."
Beras called for general quarters and ordered lift off two minutes later. Once they had broken free of Zevus Mar, the grizzled Captain turned to Delmran. "How long do you figure before they launch a ship after us?"
"Half an hour---if we're lucky."
"Then tell Kal to switch in those secondary boosters, and get some people on those blasters before we hit trouble."
"Dana, try to raise one of those Kena Warriors. Find out how soon we can expect to rendezvous with them," he went on firing orders. "And tell them we've commandeered a Tregan vessel, so they don't become overzealous and blow us out of the sky."
"Yes, sir," she said. "Commander Sager on telcom, sir. Press blue-four."
Beras moved to the screen and jammed his thumb against the blue button. The image of a younger man filled the screen. "Sager, all I want to know is when the hell are you going to get here?"
"Maximum thirty minutes, Captain Beras."
"Well, you'd better kick in all the thrust you've got. I've already lost two-thirds of my crew. Those left are in no condition to be running this ship---let alone face combat. Why in fifty years of service, I've never been in such a mess as this---not even in the Sargus Wars . . .."
"I understand, sir. Will do." The image disappeared.
"Captain, we have two ships tailing us on the scanner."
Are they gaining on us? He demanded, not bothering with cumbersome speech. A grade 9.7 Psion, he never needed to talk unless he chose to. Most of the Normals preferred it, except in tense situations when it was important for them to get and understand orders just as quickly as possible.
"No sir---but we aren't losing them e
ither."
Cran, see if you can help Kal and Tarig get more power out of those engines.
"Sure, Captain." Cran hurried to the down tubes.
Meanwhile, Hankura and Chelle came up to the bridge with food wafers for the male crew members who hadn't eaten before their escape. It was the same food they were fed in the prison camp, but Hankura told the men to eat it anyway to give them strength for whatever lay ahead.
The Tregan ship carried only minimal medical supplies, and Chelle, the only healer aboard, was too weak to heal herself. Luckily, none of the crew or the Zevians were injured seriously during the escape. Hankura, Luran, and Lesta tell me that the Zevians are near panic. When you finish passing rations, go down and help get them settled.
Right, Captain. Chelle will stay with me if you don't mind. Beras understood they weren't ready to be separated.
The Zevians were quartered temporarily in a mid-ship conference room. Luran and Lesta hadn't exaggerated. Hankura and Chelle could see how upset the Zevians were as soon as they walked into the room. All talking at once in angry, frightened tones, the refugees were on the verge of rioting.
"Chelle, Chelle!" Tira exclaimed. She jumped up and ran to embrace Chelle, chattering excitedly in Zevian. "We're so glad to be out of prison, but traveling in space frightens us. Where are we going? What's going to happen to us?"
Fifteen days was plenty for a high-level telepath to learn the Zevian language.
"It's going to be all right," Chelle replied. "We're trying to out-run some Tregan Warships. Soon, we'll rendezvous with the Kena Warrior, and they will take us to Kena Starbase."
"But, our home is on Zevus Mar. What'll we do on Kena?"
Chelle sighed. "Tira, I don't know all the answers. I'm sure the Federation will send you back to Zevus Mar when it's safe. Right now, just try to keep everyone seated and help them to stay calm. We're doing our best to keep you all safe."
