“Fantastic.” Tom said, with enthusiasm, adjusting his red cap at a jaunty angle. “So, we can start evacuating the settlers with the next shift?”
Trixie turned to him. “Shouldn't we do it a few at a time, so the enforcers won't notice it too quickly?”
Kostas nodded. “Trixie, you should slip out with the first group and organize the escapees.”
“I don't think so.” She stared at him with steely resolve. She wouldn't let him make her decisions for her. “Since I seem to be on their radar, my absence would be noticed. It could trigger a search. Besides, since I wear protective gear, I can wait.” She turned to Tabor. “Why don't you go first? You can get them organized.”
Kostas smiled. Was he glad to have Trixie and Tabor on opposite sides of the divide? Did he watch out for her? Or did he still hope for a relationship? Couldn't he see nothing could ever be real between them?
Tabor gazed at Trixie under long lashes and sighed. “I would feel more comfortable if you went first.”
Trixie shook her head. “It might jeopardize the entire operation. We cannot take any chances.”
Tom smiled, all white teeth and diamond sparks in his dark face. “I'll spread the word to the other teams.”
As Tom rose, Trixie stopped him, a hand on his arm. “Tell them they should send the weak and the sick first. The strongest should leave last.”
Cheng pinched his lips together. “The enforcers are going to notice if the work force dwindles drastically.”
“They are not very bright.” Kostas chuckled. “They might think the workers are dying off. If the extraction rate falls below the current level, however, the machines weighing the ore before the transport beams load the barges are likely to send a warning to the ship.”
Trixie let go of Tom's arm. “Those left behind will have to work harder to compensate. One more reason to evacuate the weak and the sick first.”
Tom didn't leave but addressed Kostas. “What do you think the Godds will do when they realize what's happening?”
Kostas shrugged. “They'll look for their missing workers, of course.”
Cheng cringed. “If they find the exit hole, we are screwed.”
“We'll just have to make sure they don't.” Kostas seemed sure of himself.
“How?” Trixie was concerned as well. She didn't know every detail.
“Simple.” Kostas lowered his voice. “We contact the teams of workers at the upper levels, have them come down fifty at a time, so the upper level teams are slowly dwindling, but our numbers down here remain the same.”
Trixie started to understand. “So, the enforcers will look for the leak of laborers at the upper levels, not here.”
Tom nodded. “They'll concentrate the guards at the top exit.”
Trixie still feared the repercussions. “The last to leave are taking greater risks.”
“True.” Kostas had all their attention. “They'll also have the responsibility of covering our tracks, and plug that hole for good when they leave, so we are not followed.”
“Sounds risky.” Trixie didn't like taking chances with others' lives. “I wish I knew what the enforcers will do after we start disappearing.”
“I'm not sure.” Kostas glanced up at her, the white of his eyes strangely clean in his grimy face. “They are likely to consolidate the shifts and lengthen the work hours to keep the production levels up.”
“As I said, it will be tougher for those who wait.” And Trixie didn't like it at all.
Tabor seemed strangely calm in the midst of all this. “How should I organize the escapees? They'll need food.”
“And weapons.” Typical of Kostas to think of weapons. “We will have to send raids to the citadel. The satellites are monitoring the streets, and we can't afford to be seen. We'll have to find some stealthy access.”
“Like the tunnels.” Trixie remembered how they'd been caught in the tunnels. She seemed to remember dying... strange.
“I'll spread the word.” Tom squeezed her shoulder then marched out through the open archway.
Kostas rose and bowed slightly to Trixie. “If you don't mind, I need a shower.”
She dismissed him with a hint of regret. As if noticing, he smiled and waved then went to the corner where showers and latrines adjoined. Trixie was glad her mask filtered the smells.
Cheng and Tabor also rose to leave. They looked exhausted and needed their sleep.
Tabor stopped mid-movement and turned to Trixie, “You need a place to sleep? You can use my bunk.”
“I have my own bunk in the infirmary.” Trixie appreciated his concern, but all she could think about was Kostas taking a shower... naked. She shook the thought out of her head. How long would it take her to get it into her head that a clone wasn't a romantic option?
Chapter Seventeen
Holding his lantern high, Kostas led the fifth group of escapees through the wide lava tube. He enjoyed foiling his captors, and the clean air of the cave gave him an incredible sense of freedom.
The ruse to throw off the enforcers as to where the workers slowly disappeared had baffled them so far. The upper level groups diminished steadily by sixteen members each shift. About two hundred had already reached the safety of the sanctuary cave at the base of the cliff. So far so good.
Kostas heard muffled footfalls ahead in the lava tube. He motioned for the settlers to stop and be quiet. They complied, staring at him with wide frightened eyes in ghostly gray faces. Over their wheezy breathing, despite the slight echo, his keen ear could discern several sets of footsteps. How far ahead?
Before them the tunnel bent slightly, and the echo prevented him from estimating the distance. He detected a new smell he could not place. He strengthened his grip on the small pick, wishing he had a pulse rifle, or even a sharp sword.
Kostas handed his lantern to a settler next to him and nodded. The man turned it off and darkness engulfed the group. In the oppressive blackness, Kostas relied on other senses. The air flow, the sounds, the smells.
Trailing his hand on the glass-smooth rock to his left, Kostas slowly ventured around the bend of the tubular tunnel. He saw a glow in the distance and froze. A hundred feet away, a small group of Zerkers walked toward him. About six or seven of them.
His military training took over as he assessed his chances.
The Zerkers couldn't see him yet and walked calmly by the fluttering light of their torch. A confrontation was unavoidable. Kostas moved to the center of the lava tube and stood, poised in the dark. He balanced his pick loosely in his right hand.
When the edge of their torchlight finally revealed his presence, the Zerkers stilled, a look of surprise on their faces. They just stood there. Kostas noticed the lack of blood paint on their naked bodies, the dullness of their eyes, not demented like during their previous encounters. They also smelled like a meadow after the rain. Weird.
As they remained frozen, Kostas remembered he came from the mine. Under the thick layer of stone dust, he must look like some kind of demon, a creature from a nightmare.
The Zerkers didn't seem to know what to do. Their clubs rested on their right shoulders, like rifles at attention. Armed only with a pick, Kostas could probably dispatch or injure most of them. But something in their behavior didn't match what he had come to know about Zerkers. They didn't even stink.
Were they waiting for their friends? Would a host of savages pour out of adjacent tunnels at the first sound of trouble? Kostas had to eliminate these Zerkers in order to protect not only the settlers behind him, but the two hundred already in the cave at the base of the cliff... and all the others still hoping to escape the mine. That included Trixie.
As they stood, staring, Kostas observed something unusual in one of the Zerkers. A woman stood in their midst, almost hidden by the others. Her gleaming black hair hung down below her shoulders. The others seemed to be shielding the woman, protecting her.
Bodyguards? Kostas took one step forward and squinted at her. Immediately, the Zerkers around her brandishe
d their clubs in a defensive stance. Definitely a woman of importance.
But more than that, Kostas felt as if he knew her. Could she be one of the settlers abducted by the Zerkers? She did not look or behave like a prisoner.
Knowing better than to step any closer, Kostas addressed her from where he stood. “Do you need help, lady?”
As soon as he spoke, the woman's expression switched from surprise to confidence. Her brow relaxed. She snapped an order in a guttural tongue. The Zerkers immediately parted to let her come forth. Unlike her naked companions, she wore a long dress made of soft hide, shoes, and even jewelry.
A red crystal the size of a man's hand caught the light as it hung from a braided leather tie between her generous breasts. The pear-shaped gem had an exquisite metal setting. Where had the savages found such a priceless bauble? The tall, dark-haired beauty swayed lush hips as she walked, and looked even more familiar now.
“So, you are Human after all.” Her husky voice carried a hint of Hispanic accent. “My people think you are a mountain spirit.”
Recognition dawned on Kostas... Trixie's Communications Officer? “Dolores? Is that you? We thought you were dead. What are you doing with these Zerkers?”
“Kostas!” She smiled, erasing all doubts about her identity. “I almost didn't recognize you through all that gray grit.” She offered a mock grimace. “But I should have known. Who else would stand without flinching against six... did you call them Zerkers?”
Kostas remembered vividly finding her partner's severed hand on the floor of the cave during the mountain raid. “What happened to Kenny?”
Dolores shook her head. “He resisted. They killed him... and worse.”
Kostas understood. They probably had him for dinner. “Are you all right?” He struggled to understand the strange situation. Then he remembered the women abducted from the citadel. “Are the other women alive as well?”
Dolores nodded. “Si. They are doing fine.”
“We have to get you all out. I can take care of these louts right now, and you can join us.”
“Not so fast, soldier!” Something in her authoritative tone and regal bearing spoke of power and importance. “I do not need any help. You Humans are the ones who need us.”
You Humans? How could Dolores align herself with the Zerkers? “What happened to you? You are Human. You don't want to stay with these savages.”
“Oh, but I do.” Her dark liquid eyes hardened like onyx. “I am your only hope to survive this planet... I am their queen.”
“Their queen?” That changed everything. Kostas suddenly understood her strategy. Dolores could exert influence and protect the settlers. Brilliant move.
“I dictate the rules now.” There was pride in the high port of her head, the angle of her chin.
Kostas failed to understand how a Human female could impose her will upon Zerkers. Yet what he saw confirmed her words. “How did you manage to become queen?”
Dolores flashed a devilish grin. “Never underestimate the power of a woman.”
“What about the other women?” Although unfamiliar with the fair sex, Kostas couldn't imagine they enjoyed living among Zerkers. “Surely they want to return to their own tribes!”
Dolores raised a dark brow. “After the way you got yourselves enslaved? I doubt it.”
“It has to be better than Zerker life.”
“Typical male chauvinism.” Dolores snorted. “Among the Native Tribes, Human women enjoy great power and status. We have already made many changes, like hygiene, considerate behavior, and the proper cooking of food.”
“Why do they treat you so well? Why do they heed your words?” Kostas wracked his brain for a logical explanation.
Dolores shrugged. “I'm not quite sure. Something to do with an ancient legend, and the fact that we only have five fingers. They want children with five fingers.”
“Still... how can our women be content among these monsters?” Kostas wondered whether Dolores had another, more personal agenda. “By the Halls of Montezuma, they eat people!”
“Not anymore.” Dolores hesitated. “At least, not unless there is no other option.”
“Really?” Kostas still didn't think it civilized at all.
“Besides, we are treated like goddesses. We do not have to work, we have many servants, get the choicest food morsels, we are fiercely protected and can choose the best-looking males for mates. As for the lovemaking...” Her dark eyes softened, and a dreamy smile spread on her lush lips. “A civilized male would never understand the attraction.”
I'll be damned! Kostas realized how little he knew about women. His mind rebelled at the idea that Dolores had made a smooth transition from civilized officer on a star freighter to Zerker queen. He certainly understood it as military strategy, but the part about enjoying it baffled him.
Another thought bothered him. If Dolores relished the love of a Zerker, why couldn't Trixie love a clone? Or was the clone issue just an excuse to reject him, because she found Kostas too tame? Women really were a mystery.
He pushed away his personal dilemma with a sigh. “What do you propose?”
Dolores swept a hand toward her guards. “As you can see, the...” she searched for the word, “Zerkers are not always in warrior mode. They are aggressive only when they eat the sacred mushroom they call Mosh, and they take it exclusively before battle.”
“Good to know.” Kostas relaxed a little. His keen ears could detect the wheezing breaths of the settlers hiding behind the bend.
“I propose an alliance between your people and mine,” Dolores said with the voice of authority. “After all, we have a common enemy. Joining forces is in both our best interest.”
“I'd be thrilled with a simple pact of non-aggression.” Kostas offered a strained smile. “But Trixie is our council leader, and our official negotiator. She can speak for us.” Kostas had seen her in action and knew she'd find common ground and a fair arrangement. “Just tell us when and where.”
“Don't look for us...” Dolores winked suggestively. “We'll come to you.”
“All right.” Kostas didn't push the issue. He understood he infringed on Zerker territory. They knew the maze of tunnels better than any Human. “Now I would appreciate it if you could let us pass. We are in the middle of an important operation.”
“Evacuating the settlers from the mine. I know.” The thick curtain of lashes fanned across her dark eyes. “We have been watching you.”
“You have?” Kostas felt heat rising to his cheeks. Humiliation... a new and unwelcome sensation. How could he have missed the Zerkers watching him? Yet, he'd heard Dolores and her guards coming. Then he realized this wasn't a chance encounter. “You deliberately came to meet me in this tunnel, didn't you?”
“Si. And we know you are not alone.” Dolores gave a slow, knowing smile. “You can tell your friends cowering in the dark that they have nothing to fear from us.”
“Damn!” Kostas glanced back and motioned to the few daring settlers standing at the edge of darkness behind him. “Come out. It's safe.”
Sudden lantern light flooded the lava tube from behind Kostas. The entire group came around the bend to stand at his back.
The Zerkers took a step forward to protect their queen, although outnumbered ten to one for a change. A simple hand gesture from Dolores made them step back and relax. Then she snapped an order and her bodyguards lined up against the wall to let the settlers walk past them.
The ragtag group of dusty settlers gave them a wide berth, probably remembering the atrocities of the Zerker raid on the citadel.
Kostas nodded to Dolores. “Thanks. I guess we'll see you around.”
“You will.” She waved. “Good luck, soldier.”
Kostas turned about and caught up with the settlers, who hurried their pace. He didn't know what to think. Could he trust Dolores? Or was it all a ruse to catch them unaware? Contradicting emotions clouded his ability to discern the truth, and he found it extremely disturbing.
* * *
After reaching the sanctuary, the new arrivals chatted excitedly with those already in the large open cave. Most rejoiced at seeing daylight through the wide opening for the first time in weeks. Fortunately, the noise of the torrent cascading into the river muffled all Human sounds.
Kostas gathered Tabor and the few council members already among the evacuees. They sat in a circle on the smooth stone floor, to the side of the cave, behind a row of low, protecting boulders. Kostas explained their encounter with Dolores and her Zerker bodyguards. When he'd finished, Tabor, and the council members remained silent. So did those who had gathered around to listen.
Kostas' sense of duty pushed him to take the lead. “This is good news, but we need weapons, just in case it really is a trap. Even if Dolores told the truth, the Zerkers could change their mind.”
Tabor nodded gravely. “We also need food, or we won't have the strength to fight.”
“There are plenty of food rations, as well as weapons, left in the gatehouse of the citadel's main gate.” Home, as Kostas now had come to think of his quarters.
Tabor glanced up at the slanted ceiling of their cave. “Almost directly above our heads. But how do you propose to scale the cliff, climb over the overhang of the drawbridge platform, then up the citadel wall, to the top of the main gate? Not mentioning coming back down with a heavy load.”
“And all without getting caught,” a councilman interjected. “It would have to be at night.”
“No.” Kostas remembered the satellites watching the citadel, transmitting and probably recording all activity inside the fortress. “At night, body heat might register on their satellite scanners. But by day, when the stone is warm, I could look from the sky like something that belongs there, I wouldn't attract attention.”
“Camouflage? What do you have in mind?” Tabor chuckled under his moustache. “That gray dust almost makes you look like rock, but not quite.”
Kostas called upon his photographic memory of the gorge. “I could wear a wide brim hat, made of clumps of those tall grasses that grow in the cracks of the cliff.”
Noah's Ark Page 21