Lunar Eclipse

by Gun Brooke

  “I lied,” Moon said, unable to yank herself free as Beaux’s touch was exactly what she needed to make it through this confessional of sorts. “I was the only one in the pod. Are you saying that nobody else made it into any of the other pods?” She clung to Beaux’s hand now, feeling her own become ice cold.

  “I’m sorry. Yes. I understand you must’ve lost a loved one aboard the ship. From what I know, no one survived,” Beaux said quietly.

  Moon was at a crossroads. This was it. If she told Beaux the entire story, she could jeopardize everything they had agreed to do for Haven. But if she lied, and they found out later, they would never let her stay on. She would be taken back to her owner, the shipping company, and become a slave again. No doubt, she’d be sold off to something less “easy” than being in servitude on a cruise ship. She snorted to herself. Perhaps she’d be sent to work in one of Ilienta’s mines. How would that be for irony?

  “What are you thinking?”

  Moon knew she had to be honest with herself, at least. She wanted to save Haven for its uniqueness and for the animals that inhabited the planet. That was a given. Her own freedom and autonomy were high up on her list as well. But in the last few days, Beaux’s safety had become more important than Moon would ever have dreamed possible. Being brutally honest, she confessed to herself that she harbored a tiny hope that Beaux had fallen in love with Haven enough to want to return at one point. Now that was entirely unlikely, but the shift in her wishes and hopes, her change of focus, told its own tale.

  “That I’m glad you know about the pod.” Moon said to answer Beaux’s question, and her comment wasn’t untrue. “As you can imagine, I’m not used to sharing, and I feared lying to you would change how you feel.”

  “Um. How I feel?” Beaux let go of Moon’s hand, and that faint pink colored her cheekbones again.

  “Yes. About Haven’s future.” Moon tilted her head.

  “Yes. Right. Of course.” Beaux glanced over at the window they’d climbed out of. “Ready to go back to the drawing board?”

  “Yes.” Relieved that Beaux didn’t ask any more follow-up questions at the moment, Moon stood and pulled Beaux with her. “Hold on to that branch while you go back, and you won’t fall.” She pointed at a narrow branch parallel to the one they were on. “See?”

  “Too bad I didn’t spot that one climbing out,” Beau muttered and gripped it firmly. “Much better.”

  When they entered through the window, Tracks looked up, smiling broadly. “Good. Just in time. I can proudly say that we have a plan.”

  “How many more crewmen do we need?” Beaux asked as she sat down.

  “We have eight mini-scuttles. They normally take two people, but we all know that in an emergency, we can ditch what’s in the cargo area and stow three or four people in there. That’s at least twenty-four people, plus the five of us in the Rapidfire,” Somas said. “Our plan means keeping shuttle one on standby to swoop down to evacuate the rest of Ilienta’s people.”

  “And doing that, we focus on the miners and workers first and foremost,” Nia said. “They’re an exhausting, rowdy bunch, but they’re just workers.”

  “I heard from Veyar only moments ago,” Somas said. “They’ve performed a head count. Two seriously wounded of our people, non-lethal though, and twenty with minor cuts and bruises. Twelve fatalities in the Ilienta camp, more than forty injured, some critical.”

  “Damn.” Beaux closed her eyes for a second, and when she opened them again, her gaze was flat. “Any news of Kragh or Drak?”

  “Only that they and some of the other execs went along with the miners that left early.” Somas looked furious. “No doubt some great opportunity for a photo op.”

  “And when things go awry, and they will,” Beaux said, “they’ll be certain to save their own asses first.”

  Moon looked at the map, where the others had placed some items in strategic places when she was outside talking with Beaux. “What’s your plan?”

  “We will take the Rapidfire and head for this location. That is, if you deem it possible to land the mini-scuttles there, as well as shuttle one.” Somas placed a finger on a spoon on the map.

  Moon leaned over the map and envisioned the field. “The size is all right, but will the slope be a problem?”

  Tracks frowned. “Can you estimate the degrees?”

  “No,” Moon said. She angled her lower arm from the elbow to her fingertips. “Like this, I think.”

  “Ah. About twelve to fifteen degrees. The vessels will compensate for the difference when landing.”

  “I hate to break up the party and the chance of napping way up in the tree, but there’s no time to lose. We have to send the exact coordinates to Commander Veyar,” Nia said and stood. “They need to approach from the south, or we’ll lose the element of surprise.”

  “Little did I know I was fostering a tactician,” Tracks said and smiled, but the look he gave his protégée exuded pride.

  “All right. Let’s move out.” Beaux chewed on the last of the vegetables on her plate. “Thanks for the food, Moon. Tastiest meal I’ve had in ages.”

  Moon didn’t know what to say but went into the room she mostly slept in and got another of her backpacks. It was smaller than the one she’d lost in the camp, but it was almost as well equipped. Pulling out yet another sidearm, she made sure it was charged before strapping it to her other hip. The others were ready to go when she returned and didn’t object when she insisted going down the rope ladder first.

  As they reached the ground, one by one, Dancer came sauntering from the forest. Moon was glad to see the spark back in his eyes. “Hi, little man,” she said, realizing she hadn’t called him by his special nickname since they left their home to investigate the shuttles.

  Dancer hid his face against her and then shocked her by doing the same with Beaux.

  “Hi, there.” Beaux gently tugged one of Dancer’s ears. “Surely you can’t have missed me already. It’s been a few hours at the most.”

  Dancer snorted and then fell into their pace as they started walking back toward the Rapidfire. When he saw the vessel, he gave a long-suffering sigh but entered the hatch voluntarily. Clearly, he wasn’t going to let Moon, or Beaux, out of his sight.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The clearing just south of the first mining site was filled with scuttles. In the center, the Rapidfire was on standby and surrounded by thirty crewmembers, most of them security officers. Beaux stood before them, focusing on their serious faces. Next to her, Moon, Tracks, Somas, and Nia handed out small tablets holding a scanned version of Moon’s map. Dancer stayed by Beaux’s side, his eyes narrow and alert.

  “We need to go down there and secure Drak and Kragh, their security staff, and the miners.” Beaux held up the bark map. “I need you in two teams, moving in from the east and west. I’ll head up the team from the south. I believe that once we’ve secured the Ilienta brass, we’ll be able to inform the miners and support staff about the danger.”

  “Why aren’t they returning to their base camp, Cap?” a young ensign asked. “Surely they’ve gotten the word about the animal attacks. They’ve lost people, for the love of…” He made a frustrated gesture, palms up.

  “Good question, but don’t underestimate Ilienta’s greed. They’re not about to miss this opportunity to cash in on the resources they expect to find.” Beaux paused, rubbing her neck. “I don’t pretend to understand how this world works, but I think it’s safe to say that forces are at play here that we know nothing about. They know even less. Haven’s not to be toyed with, and if Ilienta continues its endeavor, we’re all in danger.”

  Tracks took a step forward. “Remember the odd blast radius in the Ilienta camp? Have any of you ever seen an explosion of that magnitude form a perfect circle? Any explosion, no matter the size?”

  “No, sir,” a female security officer said. “I saw pictures of it. It was as if someone had carved it with a surgical laser.”

  “Right.�
�� Beaux nodded and placed a hand on Moon’s shoulder. “Moon is our subject-matter expert, and I urge you to heed her warnings if or when you receive them.”

  Moon raised her chin. “If this planet is disturbed, the brummer attack is just the beginning. Don’t ask me how I know this. I just do.” She tapped her holstered weapons. “Keep your weapons ready, but use them only as a last resort, as we have no way of knowing what response firing on the animals will elicit.”

  “What do you mean?” Another crewmember flipped open the cover of his holster.

  “That brummers aren’t the only animals this world has to throw at us,” Moon said calmly.

  Beaux snapped her head to the side, staring at Moon. “Are there bigger predators around?”

  “Not close by, but I’ve seen others on my hikes.” Moon looked over at Dancer. “So have you, little man.”

  “Moff,” Dancer said and stood. His ears were moving, and he was looking up at the sky.

  “I think Dancer is giving us his cue that it’s time to go.” Beaux hoisted her rifle. “Stay sharp and keep communicators open. We need to maintain easy contact. If I give the order to evacuate, you double back to the scuttles and take off. Everybody clear on what we’re doing? Any more questions?”

  “No, sir,” the crewmembers said in unison.

  Beaux studied them for a moment. “And as always, my golden rule. Nobody’s left behind. No exceptions.”

  “Aye, sir.” The crew saluted.

  “All right. Let’s move out.” Beaux pointed to the north with an open hand.

  The crew separated into two teams, following their respective leaders to either side of the clearing. Beaux took the lead of her smaller team, feeling Dancer by her side.

  “Why does he stick to me?” she asked Moon in a low voice.

  “You’re the one leading this mission. He’ll take orders from you.” Moon didn’t sound as if she minded. “Also, he likes you.”

  Beaux snorted. “I like him too.”

  They kept low behind dense shrubs as they neared the part of the valley where the mining team had set up. Beaux knew that this mission might not end well for everyone. She had been in many tight spots in her life, first as a soldier in the Cimerian military and later as a transporter captain, but this situation was unique. Acutely aware of the woman just behind her, she had to confess that the stakes were higher than ever. Normally, she was interested only in how much money she’d make—the bottom line—but after only a few days and having met Moon, her entire focus seemed to be shifting. Beaux clenched her jaws. She wasn’t sure this change was a good thing. In fact, she didn’t like it at all.

  “Sir. We’ll be within sight in a minute,” Tracks said, taking readings with his portable scanner as he moved forward to her left. Next to him, Nia kept a firm grip on her rifle.

  “All right.” Beaux tugged at her communicator. “Team south. One minute to visual contact. Report.”

  “Team west. Four minutes.”

  “Team east. Three minutes.”

  “Affirmative. Give me two clicks when you’re in position. Radio silence unless we’re under attack.” Beaux walked slower. She had to make sure they didn’t accidentally surprise any of the Ilienta crew who might be guarding the perimeter in their path.

  After another thirty seconds, Dancer growled and stopped. Beaux raised her fist and listened. She heard faint voices and motioned for her team to get in position. She was only mildly surprised when Moon ducked and ran over to the closest tree. She made that odd gesture with her wrists and scurried up the trunk. Moon didn’t have a communicator, but Beaux could just make her out between the branches, despite her gray Empress uniform. Dancer was standing still now, his body rigid and his pointy ears directed forward.

  “Are they closing in?” Beaux whispered to the animal, feeling only mildly foolish.

  Dancer nodded and gave a nearly inaudible “ft.”

  “Got it.” Crouching, Beaux looked up into the tree. Moon was five meters up, precariously straddling a branch too far out from the trunk. She raised a small ocular to her eyes and then held up two fingers. Two guards.

  “Somas, Tracks,” Beaux whispered. “Set the weapons to thudders and cover me.” Thudders would knock the guards unconscious but not kill them.

  “Yes, sir.” Tracks moved to her left with a stealth that belied his size. Somas mimicked his movements to his right.

  The guards never even noticed their approach. At one point, they were merrily discussing some sport event on Cimeria Prime, and the next they stared down the barrels of Beaux’s, Track’s, and Somas’s weapons.

  “Not a word, or we’ll drop you,” Tracks said quietly. “Believe it or not, we’re here to save your collective asses from the repercussions of mining.”

  “What the hell—oof!” One of the guards bent forward and nearly fell over when Dancer forcefully pushed his blunt nose into his midsection.

  “We did say ‘not a word,’” Beaux murmured. “Secure them and gag them, Somas.”

  “With pleasure.” Somas pulled out restraints and cuffed the men’s hands and feet. Then he placed a membrane over their mouths. Beaux knew it would make it impossible for the men to make a sound, but it wouldn’t hinder their breathing.

  After attaching the restraints to a small tree, the team moved forward. They reached a small ridge, and as Moon rejoined them, Beaux gestured for them to lie down on their bellies. Crawling up to the edge, Beaux cautiously peered over it. About six meters below them, the mining team had set up small towers, which Beaux knew held the drill bits required to penetrate any type of bedrock. The whirring sound emanating from the structures showed that Ilienta’s mission was already underway.

  “Hell,” Tracks murmured. “We have to stop them.”

  “It may already be too late,” Moon whispered as she crawled up close to Beaux. “I can’t say how far they have to drill before something happens.”

  “How do you know something will happen?” Beaux held up her hand when Moon’s eyes darkened further. “I’m not questioning you, just wondering how you know this. It’s not like you’ve damaged this planet or tried to exploit it.”

  Moon shifted even closer and lowered her voice further. “When my pod crashed, it created a crater much like the one where the explosion took place. The soil and bedrock surrounding it formed around it like a shell, in a perfect spherical shape—in days. Then some animals showed up, hordes of them, but perhaps they deemed me non-threatening, because after a few weeks, they left me alone.” She met Beaux’s gaze firmly. “These people are relentless. Haven will respond in kind.”

  “Shit.” Beaux knew Moon was right, even if the part about the pod being covered in days sounded utterly impossible.

  Two clicks were heard over the communicators and, after a beat, two more. The security teams were in place.

  “All right. Time to stop this before we find ourselves—” Beaux stopped talking as a swooshing sound grew in intensity. “Now what?” She looked around, expecting predators to pour from the forest, but she could tell the sound didn’t originate from among the trees.

  “Oh, no.” Moon sat up and fought Beaux’s attempts to bring her down and out of sight of the miners and Ilienta security. “It’s too late.” Moon pointed at the sky.

  Mystified, Beaux followed her hand. Over the far northern ridge, what looked like birds were approaching. “Birds. Is that what we’re dealing with?” Surely that couldn’t be as bad as the brummers?

  Moon slapped her ocular into Beaux’s hand. “They’re not birds. They’ve come up from the south and circled around us.”

  Beaux placed the ocular at her right eye and zoomed in on the not-birds. And she nearly dropped the instrument when, instead of feathers, she saw scales. She struggled to find the creature in the viewfinder and found herself staring into a greenish-yellow eye with a narrow, oval pupil. Zooming out to get a better look at the entire not-bird, she saw it had wings, but they were not like a bird’s wings at all. Instead, they were like
thin membranes pulled taut over slender bones, and though they were too far away to judge their size, she could tell they were big.

  “What are they?” Nia asked, looking into her own ocular.

  “Darragons.” Moon pulled at Beaux’s communicator and shoved it against her hand. “Warn your crew.”

  Waking up, Beaux pressed the sensor. “Team east and west. Airborne creatures approaching from due north. This is no longer anything but a rescue mission. We have to pull everyone away from the drill site before they reach us.”

  “Affirmative, Captain,” both team leaders said.

  Removing her backpack, Beaux tore out the long-range communicator. “Lestarion to Veyar. Evacuate now. We’re under attack by airborne creatures. We’ll be moving the Ilienta crew and execs toward the scuttles and the Rapidfire. Use the landing site marked in the east part of the field as instructed.”

  “Yes, sir. We’re halfway to the planet already.” Veyar spoke curtly. “Will page you when we set down if you’re not there already.”

  “Good. Lestarion out.” Beaux raised the ocular again, and this time she had no problems judging the darragons’ size. What she hadn’t realized before was their speed. During the few moments she had warned her crew and alerted Veyar, the flying beasts had gotten far too close.

  “Move in. Move in!” Beaux gave the ocular back to Moon and readied her rifle again. Jumping over the edge, she struggled to remain on her feet as she slid down the slope toward the drilling area. From the flanks, she saw her security teams do the same.

  Dancer ran past her, howling as he neared the camp, virtually acting like a living alarm klaxon. The closest Ilienta security guard raised his weapon as she saw them approach and fired. The round struck near Dancer, who simply did a pirouette and kept running and howling.

  “No!” Moon threw herself forward, waving her hands. “Don’t shoot. Look!” She pointed toward the sky. “You have to leave.”