Destination Alara

by S. Y. Thompson

  Van's expression froze, unintentionally stern due to her conflicting emotions. She and Cade stared wordlessly at each other. Shocked to come upon Cade this way, it took a moment for Van to react. When she finally did, Van surprised herself. She lowered the rifle as she stepped forward. Holding the weapon in one hand, she used the other to slap the rocket away from Cade's face. Without thought or hesitation, Van grasped the back of Cade's neck and kissed her, hard. After a moment, Cade dropped the rocket on the ground and flung her arms around Van's shoulders while burying her face against Van's neck. Aware of every passing second that someone might discover them, she held Cade and felt the trembling in her frame. She stepped back with difficulty and finally noticed Cade's condition.

  Even under the dirt and grime, she was gaunt and pale. Her uniform was ripped, ragged and frayed. One sleeve was torn away, utilized as a bandage and wrapped around a wound in Cade's upper thigh. The cloth was soaked through and Van suspected the substance was blood.

  "We need to get out of here. The Gothoans could come back any second."

  Van handed Cade the blaster rifle and took the rocket in exchange. The weapon was heavy enough to take her by surprise, but she couldn't leave it here for a patrol to find. Slinging it over one shoulder, Van took Cade's upper arm and encouraged her to walk away, toward the northern perimeter where they could take cover behind a building.

  Cade glanced back over her shoulder toward the downed crewman. "I'm sorry about your lieutenant. Where's the rest of the cavalry?"

  "Um, this wasn't exactly a sanctioned mission." Van frowned at the heart-wrenching sound of Cade's gravelly voice. "The Coalition thinks you're dead."

  "My mother must be out of her mind with worry. That means you decided to come looking for me without authorization."

  Van was pleased it wasn't a question. She squeezed Cade's arm in response. She'd have to tell Cade about her mother, she deserved to know, but Van couldn't just blurt out the bad news. Cade was weak and injured and the news of Queen Dorma's demise might be too much for her to handle.

  "Can you walk about five kilometers? We need to rendezvous with the rest of my team near the ruins of the old city."

  "If it means getting off this rock, I'll walk all the way to Alara. Just one thing."

  "Yes?"

  "Do you have any water?"

  Van felt like an idiot for not considering Cade's need for food and water. She'd been heading toward the northwest perimeter to avoid being close to Gothoan headquarters and they still weren't in a very good stopping place. The mess hall provided some shelter for the moment, but they needed to make their respite brief. Skirting around to the rear of the building, Van was thankful it wasn't mealtime. They could use some of the large outdoor freezers and storage buildings for concealment. She encouraged Cade to sit and lean against the back of a low-slung hut while she laid the rocket on the ground. Van squatted and shrugged off her pack. Cade took the canteen as soon as Van brought it out.

  "Drink slowly," Van cautioned. "I don't want you to get sick."

  Cade nodded and set the canteen between her thighs after a few swallows. She abandoned the water altogether when Van handed over a ration bar. Tears pricked Van's eyes as she watched Cade tear off the wrapper and shove the food in her mouth.

  She wondered how long it had been since Cade last ate.

  Van remembered the trembling in Cade's body a few minutes before. She had thought relief at having been found caused the tremors. Now she realized it was more than that. Cade's uniform hung loosely on her body. She'd lost a significant amount of weight. While Cade chewed and sipped the water, Van offered her another nutrition bar.

  The military rations were grey and overly sweet-tasting, not exactly a gourmet meal. What they lacked in taste, they made up for in calories, carbohydrates and nutrients. The eager look in Cade's eyes when she looked at the food was testament to how hungry she was.

  "We should get going. It isn't safe to stay here."

  "Eat it," Van said, pressing the bar into her hand. "I'll keep watch."

  Taking the blast rifle, she kept an eye on the area while Cade ate. After a few quiet moments she asked, "Why were you carrying the rocket around? It wouldn't exactly be my defensive weapon of choice."

  Cade chuckled but there was little humor in the sound. "I knew I couldn't last much longer without supplies. Beating up troops and lifting their weapons is one thing, but most of them don't carry food around."

  Hearing her speak so casually about her own demise sent chills down Van's spine. "You can't eat a rocket."

  "No, but I can blow up Mentis's ship."

  Van frowned. "Why not blow up his office, with him in it?"

  "I thought about it, but I don't know where it is and I didn't think anyone would be willing to give me directions."

  "I get it. The next best target was the ship he brought you here on. You're going to have to tell me how you managed that one. I saw Prometheus explode and I thought..." Van clenched her jaw shut, unable to say the words.

  "And still you came for me."

  Van turned her head and met Cade's gaze. "I'll always come for you."

  Her communications device sputtered to unexpected life. "Captain Swann, respond."

  "I'm here, Ozal. The team?"

  "Three outstanding, including you."

  "On my way. The others won't be joining us," she said sternly.

  "Understood. ETA?"

  Van couldn't detect any emotion in the brief transmission even though Ozal had to know what she meant. In a way, Van was irritated that her tactical officer didn't seem devastated by the information, but she had to admit it was better than falling apart in the middle of a dangerous mission.

  "Unknown. I'm five clicks away. Depends on how many ghosts I run into." Van didn't intend to use the slang for a pale, pasty Gothoan until it slipped out. It wasn't politically correct, but at the moment she didn't care. By finding Cade on a fully functioning military installation, she'd accomplished two missions. Commodore Grier would have proof the Gothoans were massing for war and Cade Meryan was alive to be crowned the next Queen of Alara.

  "Understood, standing by."

  Cade hadn't expected any other reply since the lifeboat couldn't fly to them. Before the rescue team left Pandora, they'd left everything behind that the enemy could use to track them. Van and Cade needed to get to the ship on their own.

  Kneeling in front of Cade, Van offered a small smile. She reached up and gently cupped a soft cheek, wiping at a smudge of dirt with her thumb. Cade closed her eyes for a moment and leaned into the touch.

  "Feel a little better?"

  "Yes, I'm ready to get out of here."

  "Good."

  Van packed up the canteen and stuffed ration bar wrappers into a pocket. She offered Cade a hand up before shouldering the rocket. Cade took the rifle and linked her arm through Van's. Her limp more pronounced, Van detected a grimace on her face. Going was slow and she mentally counted off the minutes in her mind. They'd reached the western perimeter and rounded the edge of the barracks when Van realized there was a problem.

  Cade must have felt her tense. "Let me guess. We crawl from here."

  "Worse. We have to crawl past a couple of hundred Gothoans doing calisthenics less than eight meters away."

  "That's not so bad," Cade responded after a beat. "Eight meters is far enough away to give you trouble on pistol quals. How hard could this be?"

  "Funny." Van went for sarcastic but was relieved Cade felt strong enough to tease.

  They knelt at the edge of the enemy barracks. Cade stretched out flat on her stomach, holding the rifle in her outstretched hands with her weight resting on her elbows. Used by countless soldiers for centuries, the low crawl was still a useful stealth technique. Cade would use elbows and knees to propel her body forward. The posture would definitely cause more damage to her injury and they wouldn't make very good time. They also wouldn't be able to stand until they reached the building just in front of the line between
daylight and dark. According to their limited information, Van thought the structure might house research and development. The thought of destroying any future high tech weapons that could be used against Coalition forces was very exciting.

  Shaking her head in disappointment, Van laid the rocket on the ground and slipped off the backpack. Cade was hurt, but low crawling past the enemy was still going to be easier for her than for Van. Van wrapped the strap attached to the neutron rocket around her hand and then doubled it around again. The weapon was heavy. She'd have to drag it by her side, crawl a few inches and then push the pack ahead of her with the free hand.

  Van kept her eyes pinned to Cade's butt when she wasn't looking around for observant troops. Sweat dripped into her eyes and despite the cool temperatures, she longed to remove her coat. She didn't because then she'd have to carry it and removing it would require too much overt movement.

  Time passed slowly in mind-numbing tension. They would move forward a few centimeters and then stop to see if anyone sounded an alarm. Designed to blend into the terrain, Van's grey rescue gear provided camouflage. Cade's dirt-encrusted clothing offered her the same protection. There were times when Van lost sight of her in the high, straggly weeds scant meters away. Eventually, the troops finished their mandatory exercises and scurried off to engage in other activities without discovering the trespassers.

  Van cautioned herself not to get careless. They were able to make better time without so many troops at hand but there were still enough patrols moving about to remind them of the stakes. The Gothoans weren't stupid. Assuming Yugi really was a traitor, Mentis knew who was here, the purpose of their visit, and that Pandora was cloaked nearby waiting to retrieve the crew. He couldn't afford to let them leave with proof of an imminent Gothoan assault. Even now, he was probably racking his brain and driving his engineers crazy in an effort to find them.

  A predatory smile curved her lips as Van thought of what Mentis, aka Nemo, would do to Yugi when he failed. Yugi really hadn't given the senator anything. In fact, all she'd really done was tip her hand. Poetic justice, she considered. That's what Mentis got for using a green undercover operative. She still wanted to believe that Yugi was innocent of being a traitor, but there was too much circumstantial evidence and lives hung in the balance. In this case, Yugi was guilty until proven innocent.

  It felt like it took forever to reach the end of the compound. By the time they neared the research building Van craved water and worried how Cade was holding up. Even as she looked, Cade reached the structure and crawled past the edge before she lay down flat to rest. Van glanced around and didn't see a single ghost in sight. She increased her pace, sacrificing stealth for speed, but still didn't stand until she reached Cade's side.

  "You okay?" she asked, panting a little.

  "Fine. Just need a second."

  Unexpectedly someone began to clap. Van pushed up on her arms and looked toward the rear of the building. Ensign Yugi stood there with a squad of Gothoan thugs. The smile on her face reminded Van of a Hokaran shark. Like most Alarans, Yugi was susceptible to cold and she now wore a heavy, fur-lined parka in place of her Coalition gear.

  "It's about time you got here. We've been waiting."

  Van climbed to her feet, refusing to have this conversation lying belly down on the ground. She noticed absently that Cade sat up and leaned against the building. "What, hoping I'd wear myself out before I got here so I wouldn't have the strength to beat you to death? You're out of uniform, Ensign."

  "Oh no," Yugi said, melodramatically placing a hand against her cheek. "Are you going to put me on report, Captain?"

  "Maybe I'll just shoot you for being a traitor." There was no way Van could carry out such a threat. The blast rifle and neutron rocket both lay on the ground, useless. She would never reach them before someone blasted a hole in her side. "Did you kill Lieutenant Bjorg?"

  "Unfortunately, no. I really did leave him to pursue my own agenda, just like he told you when you contacted him. As for being a traitor..."

  Yugi looked at Cade and suddenly kicked her solidly in her wounded thigh. Cade fell over, writhing in pain but didn't give Yugi the satisfaction of crying out. Van lunged toward her former ensign, intent on tearing her head off but two soldiers grabbed her arms from behind. She hadn't heard them come around the building.

  "The vaunted Cade Meryan is the traitor, her and her family. What true right do you have to the throne of Alara?"

  "Her mother is the queen, you moron."

  "Was the queen," Yugi cruelly pointed out. "As soon as the entire line is eradicated, the rightful ruler of the system will be free to take her place upon the throne. Take their weapons and take them to the holding facility."

  The troops broke ranks and stalked toward Van and Cade. Two reached down and yanked the admiral from the ground with no regard for her pain. Another stood by just in case she put up a fight while a soldier stooped and picked up the blast rifle. Before he could grasp the rocket strap Van took advantage of his vulnerable position and kicked him in the top of the head. The impact with the black helmet he wore sent a sharp pain from the sole of her foot into her calf, but she had the pleasure of hearing his neck snap. The soldier crumpled to the ground at the same time Yugi backhanded Van across the face.

  "Get them out of here before she kills the lot of you. Oh, wait."

  The Gothoans stopped and waited for Yugi to explain. Instead, she stepped up to Van and removed the communications device from her left ear. "Can't have you contacting Pandora. Your time limit is almost up, Captain. In one hour, they'll leave without you."

  Yugi nodded once and the troops dragged Van and Cade back toward the center of the installation.

  Van couldn't think of any sarcastic comeback. Yugi was right. No one knew she'd found Cade and the entire crew was already taking a risk on an unsanctioned op that Byra had objected to from the start.

  "Why not just kill us?" she asked over her shoulder.

  "You're far too valuable for that. Although you're just a tool for the current regime, the Gothoans might be able to get something useful out of you. Maybe some nice juicy tactical information."

  "Not likely."

  Before long, Van and Cade sat in a cold, damp cell located in the headquarters basement. Van was grateful Yugi hadn't seen fit to separate them and now they huddled together for warmth. If her butt hadn't been freezing to the floor, Van might almost have been cozy with Cade's arm around her shoulders. She still couldn't believe her rookie navigator had gotten the drop on them and turned out to be a Coalition traitor. Some intelligence officer she had turned out to be.

  "When were you going to tell me about Mom?" Cade's voice held no accusation, only sorrow.

  "When we made it back to Pandora."

  "Were you afraid I'd fall apart if you told me?"

  Damn.

  Van answered softly. "Honestly? I just didn't know. You've been through so much and I couldn't take that chance."

  Cade sighed. "Thank you for not lying to me. In your position, I might have done the same."

  Van felt Cade rub her cheek against the top of her head. "What happened?"

  The last thing Van wanted to do was tell Cade how her mother died. Tact had never been her strong suit, but she knew she had to say something. "There was an accident...at Solstice Canyon."

  Cade's body tensed. "She fell?"

  Van heard the tears in her voice. "Yes. I wasn't there, but that's what I heard. It happened about the same time Mentis attacked us near Celestas."

  Cade nodded. "Did you attend the ceremony?"

  Closing her eyes briefly, Van wished she could take all of Cade's grief away. "Yes. I was there. I think all of Alara was there."

  "A beautiful ceremony?"

  "The best. I've never seen anything like it before. Unfortunately, considering the circumstances, I'm starting to wonder if it really was an accident."

  Cade went quiet for a second. When she spoke, she said everything that Van was thinking. "Yugi g
loated that the Gothoans intended to eradicate the entire Meryan line. They made an attempt on me and Mom at the same time and almost succeeded in killing both of us."

  Van leaned away and looked up at Cade, shivering at the deadly intent in her eyes. "With Alara in chaos without a ruler, it would be the perfect time to launch an attack."

  "Except that I ruined their plans by surviving. They couldn't attempt to invade without knowing for sure that I was dead."

  "And now they have exactly what they want. We're both here, Gauntlet is in the hands of an inexperienced commander and Pandora is too far away to be of any use."

  "Even if Pandora started back now, they'd never make it in time. We don't know how many ships he already has waiting to attack and a single radio call could set the whole thing in motion."

  Van stood and paced across the cell. "We have to get out of here and warn the Coalition."

  "This is all my fault," Cade observed, still sitting on the floor. She absently rubbed her wounded thigh. "You told me to back off from Mentis's ship, that I was too close. I didn't listen. Now look where we are."

  "You didn't have to listen. You outrank me." The excuse sounded weak even to Van.

  "I was traveling aboard your ship as a civilian. I should have listened. Still, thanks for letting me off the hook."

  Van walked back over and sat down. Her mind swirled as she tried to think of a way out of their confinement.

  "How long until Pandora uses your bio-chip to find us?"

  Van snorted. "Never. We all had the implants removed before transporting down. The Gothoans could have tracked us."

  "Great. How do you suggest we escape, use a spoon and dig a tunnel to freedom? It might take about a hundred years."

  "Somehow, I don't think that will work." Van started as she realized she'd been missing the obvious. She stood up and slipped her hand into her front trouser pocket. "Then again..."