My hand brushed across her leg and my AI reoriented, displaying her body’s outline. I dove. The flow of water had reversed again and was sucking her downward. She slipped away; my fingers just missing her. I chased, overcame her position, then wrapped my arms around her, my heart beating a million beats a second.
I pulled both of us against the current and headed up, hoping to clear the water. I needed access to her suit so I could place an emergency med-patch. There was precious little time to revive her once all bio signs had flattened out.
Breaking free of the water's surface we hovered in the glowing cavern. Panicked, I searched for a place to lay Tabby down. My eyes landed on a partially submerged shelf, wide enough to hold both of us. But before I could move, she jerked in my arms, her bio sensors spiking on my display and then settling back to normal.
"Tabby?"
She didn't answer, so I flew us to the ledge that was now a meter out of the quickly receding water. Setting her gently down onto the rocky surface, I pulled back her face mask, retracted my glove, and rested the palm of my hand on her cheek. Her face was warm and she was breathing. Not knowing what else to do, I pulled her onto my lap, sat back against the hard rock face and sighed.
Eventually, sounds within the cavern filtered into my consciousness. I wondered what I should do next. The cavern we were in had significant deposits of Iskstar-laced rocks, some covered with mud, others brilliantly illuminating the interior. Water filtered down from above, forming rivulets and waterfalls as it crested over newly exposed ledges.
I allowed my eyes to follow the cavern wall upward. The room was huge and I found that I was unable to see much past a hundred meters.
An object fell from above, splashing into the muddy water that had receded only another meter or so since Tabby and I had been resting on the ledge. More movement caught my attention and I turned to see a Piscivoru falling toward the water, arms and legs spread wide. At the last moment it turned, entering the water more-or-less straight on.
"Is that you, Jaelisk?" I asked.
I laid Tabby gently on the ground next to me and walked over to the water’s edge. I peered down, unable to see past the murky surface, when two arms exploded from the suddenly frothing water. I jumped back just as a small body leapt out and landed on my chest.
"What in the frak?" I batted at the figure, but it had already clambered up and over my head.
"Boerisk, stop!" Jaelisk's voice echoed off the walls of the cavern. I turned and located the juvenile, who'd discovered Tabby's prone form. He was sitting quietly next to her, lifting her limp hand.
"She got hurt," I said. "I need to get her some help."
"She is talking to the Iskstar. She is okay," Baelisk said as he exited the water more cautiously than his brother. The sound of skittering drew my attention to a growing group of Piscivoru who had found us.
"Where did you come from? How did you know we were here?" I asked, knowing that, even for the Piscivoru, we were at least a day’s travel away through circuitous tunnels from the grotto they called home.
"A new passageway opened. We now have direct access to this part of the grotto," Boerisk answered, still holding Tabby's hand.
"How could you know the passageway would lead here?" I asked.
"The Iskstar whispers," Boerisk said, his voice changing slightly.
"No, it doesn’t," Baelisk said. "Don't listen to him. We were able to smell our home through the new tunnel."
"You're an imp," I said, shaking my head at Boerisk.
"Baelisk speaks truly," Jaelisk said, dropping from a nearby wall and approaching. "Your mate speaks with Iskstar, just as you did."
Tabby sucked in a breath and suddenly sat up, opening her now glowing blue eyes. She looked around wildly, not seeming to recognize us.
"Tabby, are you okay?" I rushed to her side, kneeling next to her.
"Liam. They're coming," she said.
"Who's coming?"
"Kroerak," she said. "I saw a fleet of a hundred Kroerak ships. It's almost to Mhina. They're going to break the blockade."
"Mhina?" I asked. "But I saw a fleet coming from Pogona space. They were coming from Brea Fortul." The systems were in opposite directions, if such a positional concept was possible with wormholes.
"There have to be two fleets," she said. "It's a pincer maneuver. They'll hit the Confederation blockade from two sides."
"We have to warn Mshindi," I said. "They won't be prepared to fight on two fronts."
"We have to hurry, Liam. The fleets will arrive in less than a ten-day," she said.
"I got it, Tabbs," I said. "I'll contact Sendrei. He can reach Nick via quantum crystal."
"You must calm yourself, Tabitha Masters," Jaelisk said.
I was momentarily distracted from calling Sendrei as I watched mech suit pieces carefully being lowered from above by a small group of Piscivoru. "Sendrei, can you read me?" I called.
After a few minutes I heard his voice. "Copy, Captain," he answered. "Would you mind explaining what happened to Tabby's bios about twenty minutes ago?"
"There's a lot. She's okay," I said. "Listen. I need you to fire up the quantum comm crystal and reach out to Nick so he can get word to Mshindi Prime. The Kroerak are bringing two fleets and they're not much more than a ten-day from surrounding the Confederation blockade on Mhina."
"That's going to be a hard sell," Sendrei said. "They're going to want to know how you know that."
I sighed. I knew I sounded like a madman, but I strongly believed that what I'd felt in my dreams was really happening. I couldn't stand by and do nothing. "It's the Iskstar. Tabby had an experience with the Iskstar and it told her, just like it's been telling me in my dreams."
"I'll pass it along," Sendrei said. "I'm not hopeful that anyone will believe us though."
"They must," I said. "If the Abasi fleet gets flanked by Kroerak, they'll never survive it."
"How big are these fleets?"
Tabby cut in and described what she'd seen. Even though she and I hadn't discussed the fleets in detail, her description matched in exact detail what I remembered from my dream.
"Unless the Confederation is hiding a lot of ships we've never seen, I don't think any fleet stands a chance against what you're describing," Sendrei said. "That's more ships than the Kroerak sent against Earth."
"I know," I said, hoping to hide my shudder.
"We will convey the information," Jonathan interjected. "It is critical I also communicate that we have become aware of ships entering the Picis system. We believe the Kroerak will arrive in one hundred forty hours. Smaller ships could arrive as early as seventy. You must return with crystals that will power Gaylon Brighton's turrets as quickly as possible."
"We'll be there," I answered. "Just make that call."
"Copy. Get back here ASAP," Jonathan said. "You will not wish to be caught in the open after the bugs arrive in orbit."
"He's right," Tabby said after we closed comms. "Who'd believe us? We sound like hypos." I chuckled nervously at her reference to the hypoxic ramblings that were often final goodbyes recorded as someone died in an oxygen-poor environment.
While communicating with Sendrei and Jonathan, I'd apparently missed all the activity. A steady stream of mech armor parts was piled up next to us. Several pairs of Piscivoru had entered the water and re-emerged with the parts. One such pair came up out of the water, flicking out their tongues and blinking rapidly. Jaelisk translated what was apparently a conversation. "The tunnel is clear. We will start moving your mechanical skins after a short break for sustenance."
"What about the water?" I asked. "I know you are good swimmers, but the distance is considerable."
"Swimming makes carrying the parts easier," she said. "We will appreciate the break. We are concerned that there is little breathable air left. The scouts have found that the water blocks flow of air and it will become dangerous for many to work."
"We can help with that," I said as a group struggled to bring up one of
the mech back plates. Those plates were the biggest part of the suits and we'd worked hard to widen the tunnel so they could be retrieved.
"You can make air?"
"If you eat enough of these meal bars, anyone can make air," Tabby quipped, ripping open the meal bar I'd handed her.
"Nice," I said sarcastically. "You make fun of my meal bars, but there you go eating one, all the same."
"I'd kill for decent food," she said. "This has been the worst trip."
Jaelisk quirked her head at Tabby and I could feel a question coming about killing for sustenance. I decided to head it off. "Our suits have the capacity to generate O2, which is what most beings – Piscivoru included – use to live. When we're in outer space, there is no atmo, so the technology is critical."
"I do not think it is the same thing," Jaelisk said.
"How did your scout there know the air was bad?" I asked.
"We are able to take it within us and store it," she said. "It is how we swim. Is this not how it works for you?"
"Close," I said, not wanting to get into another lesson with the infinitely curious Piscivoru. "Let me show you."
Using my suit’s AI, I ramped up its oxygen production. The suit could easily raise output to ten times normal, as long as it had a source of water and plenty of energy. Soon, vents along my shoulder blades and below my knees started releasing the excess.
"It is the same," she said. "How did you know this?"
"You have access to your AI, remember? You can ask it questions," I said.
"I did not know it would know of such things," she said.
Tabby stood and helped me up. "We need to get moving, Hoffen."
"Crystals," I said, lifting from the ground and flying up next to an exposed vein of bright blue Iskstar. Pulling back my glove, I rested my hand on the warm, translucent rock. A feeling of welcome reverberated through the touch. I’ll admit, there was a possibility I imagined the sensation or even projected my feelings into the situation, but there was definitely something sentient about the Iskstar. Before, when I'd needed the crystal to power Gaylon Brighton, I'd simply thought about the need and a perfectly-sized crystal had separated into my hand. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the additional needs we'd considered concerning our defense. While I should have been surprised, I wasn't when hairline fractures formed in the crystal's surface. Several gem-quality, finger-length shards separated from the face and I easily pulled them free.
"That's amazing." Tabby placed her hand onto the rock face. A crack formed beneath her palm and two shards the size of a child's forearm broke free. "What in the heck?" she asked. "What do we need these for?"
I inventoried the crystals I'd pulled from the face of the Iskstar. I had enough to power both of Gaylon Brighton's two turrets, a matching set of eight crystals for Dskirnss's planetary defensive weapon, and six pinkie-sized crystals I believed could be used in the mech suits. I couldn't come up with a need for the oversized crystals Tabby had been given.
"The Iskstar is either a sentient or there's a sentient communicating to us through it," I said. "It's the only thing that makes sense."
"So, the glowy-blue-eye thing is an alien occupying our bodies?" she asked, pushing the larger crystals into a pouch that expanded on her back.
"I've been ignoring that for now," I said. "If it helps, I think they're trying to help."
"I don't trust them."
"Shocker." I smiled to let her know I understood her position and glided back to the water’s edge where the pile of Popeye parts was already shrinking. I grabbed a boot, jumped into the water and allowed the AI to direct my path.
Popping up on the other side of the new tunnel, I came face to face with Boerisk. I exited the water onto a slick mud path that lead toward an opening in the mountainside.
"Your air smells funny," he said.
"Funny? Like jumping out of the water to scare me?" I asked, grabbing for him as I let go of the boot. I'd observed just how quickly the Piscivoru could move, but I was shocked at how easily the small lizard dodged my attempted grab.
"It does not smell of the mountain," he said. "And humans are slow. Almost as slow as Kroerak. You cannot catch me."
"Wanna bet?" Tabby asked, her right arm striking out at a speed I could barely register. Surprised, Boerisk found Tabby’s ungloved fingers wrapped around his narrow torso. Startled, he bit the fleshy part between her thumb and forefinger, causing her to yelp and release him immediately. He scampered away and then turned back, obviously confused by the exchange.
"Boerisk!" Jaelisk reprimanded.
"I'm sorry," he said, his eyebrows twitching and lids blinking.
"Frak," Tabby said, grabbing her hand as blood flowed freely onto the ground.
I pulled out a med-patch that was calibrated for her synthetic skin. "Let me see it," I said. Tabby pulled her hand away, showing a perfect v-shaped divot of missing skin and tissue. "Oh, yeah, he got you good." I placed the patch over the wound; it would stop the bleeding, but she'd need more attention later if she didn't want a life-long reminder of the event.
"I am sorry, Tabitha Masters," Boerisk said again, cautiously walking up to her and glancing over his shoulder to make sure his mother was nearby.
"You are fast, Boerisk," she said. "I surprised you. The fault is mine."
"We are blocking the way," Jaelisk said as a Piscivoru emerged from the pool of water behind us.
"Right. Onward and upward," Tabby said.
Boerisk hadn't taken his eyes off the spot where he'd bitten Tabby. "You are not injured?"
"First bite is free," she said, reaching out as if to pat his head. He dodged but didn't run. "After that, I start getting grumpy."
"There will be no biting humans," Jaelisk said, firmly.
We continued to crawl forward, dragging pieces of the Popeyes along with us. The openings we'd widened, while sufficiently wide for the back armor, slowed progress as it was still difficult to squeeze them through. We were two kilometers from the entrance when we finally settled in for sleep. I considered asking everyone to push on, but the fact was, I was exhausted.
"We thank you for the air," Jaelisk said as we gathered in one of the larger rooms along the tunnel.
"We would not have been able to extract our suits without your help," I said. "It is we who should thank you. We don't stand a chance against Kroerak without them."
"Tabitha Masters does," Boerisk said, after a few minutes. "With Iskstar staff, she would be most dangerous."
I thought about the larger crystals in her pack. It certainly wouldn't be that hard to make her a staff out of the crystals, but we now had the Popeyes. I couldn't imagine why we would care to spend the time making a new staff. Something felt a little off in concept, but I was too tired to care.
"I'm in," Tabby said. "When I see bugs, I think squish. That's just how it is."
Boerisk skittered along the side of the tunnel and settled next to Tabby. "I will protect you," he said, holding up a small Iskstar tipped dagger. While I was certain the weapon would hurt a Kroerak, it wasn't a lot larger than my index finger and I doubted it could do permanent damage to me.
Tabby chuckled contentedly and wrapped an arm around the small Piscivoru protectively as she pulled him to her side.
Chapter 12
House of the Bold
"Chamber of Koman," Moyo announced. She pushed open the doors and gestured for Nick and Marny to enter, making no move to follow.
The room they entered was humble in appearance when compared to the entryway they'd just walked through. Roughhewn wooden timbers blocked off a low-ceilinged, primitive room ten meters square. A single, round wooden table sat centered in the room.
"Captain Marny James-Bertrand and mate, Nicholas James-Bertrand," a Felio announced as they entered the room.
Marny's AI recognized and tagged Primes of the ten most prominent Abasi houses already seated around the table. Conversation quieted at her approach. Marny suddenly felt small and insignificant as she cons
idered the hundreds of millions of lives the powerful Felio represented. She sought out and found Mshindi Prime, who returned her look with a gentle nod of acknowledgement.
Kifeda Prime, the only male Felio in the room, stood. His dark brown mane had been proudly brushed to the point where Marny was reminded of a peacock's feathers. "Today, Abasi declares its freedom from the tyranny of Confederation of Planets. You have been summoned to answer but a single question, Marny James-Bertrand."
Marny couldn't help but be impressed by the richness of the Felio's voice as he spoke. Not hearing a question, Marny stood still as Little Pete fussed in his crib. Clasping hands behind his furry back, Kifeda Prime moved out from behind the table and approached.
"Are you not curious as to this question, Captain Marny James-Bertrand?" Mzuzi purred.
"In deference to the venerable Abasi gathered, I believe it is best to speak when I have something of value to offer," Marny answered. Meaningless speeches had been drilled out of her after long years in the service.
"Admirable," he chuffed. "Restraint of one's tongue is a battle often lost."
"Mzuzi, get on with it," an Abasi leader pushed. "You're only impressed with her silence as it gives you more time to hear your own voice."
"So it is often said," Mzuzi answered, unperturbed, before turning back to Marny. "The question is simple. Does humanity stand with Abasi?"
"We do not speak for all of humanity," Marny answered.
"So you believe," Mzuzi said. "But it is not so. The tracks left behind by your paws will cast lots for humanity for generations to come. You do speak for the company, Loose Nuts, and you are about to leave the protection of Abasi space to intercede for your lost crew. You must decide if Hornblower will proudly display the Abasi flag."
"He's not saying everything," Nick whispered. "Hornblower already sails under an Abasi flag."
"Do not whisper," Gundi Prime snarled. "All things are said openly in these chambers."
"Mzuzi is not being open when he asks if we will stand with Abasi," Nick said, turning his eyes to the middle-aged Felio female. "We have already made this clear through our actions."
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