Kostas couldn't wait. He buckled his utility belt, checked his knives, and grabbed a pulse rifle from the flat rock that served as weapons shelf. Snatching one of the lanterns stolen from the mine, he switched it on and started to run. His steady jogging pace bounced the light off the walls of the lava tube. It reflected on the turbulent water of the narrow stream, projecting patterns on the ceiling.
He could hear the officers behind him struggling to keep up, but he didn't slow down. Rifle pointed forward, he raced to the rescue. Someone ahead needed help, needed a guide. Someone might be hurt. Please, not Trixie.
That last explosion sounded like a doozy. How many had made it? More importantly, had Trixie made it? In his absence, she'd taken a desperate risk. She was a peacemaker, not a warrior. Had she pulled it off alone? Without her, without hope, Kostas would have no reason to go on living.
The very thought jarred him back to reality. A Space Marine never needed a reason to go on. He lived for his mission, to protect Humans who could not protect themselves. Yet suddenly this rescue was about Trixie, not the remaining two hundred settlers. He pumped his legs harder, mindless of the wet, slippery rock along the stream.
Within a few minutes, he reached the waterfall, then hurried toward the original cavern. He expected to see light when he reached it but there was none. His lantern cast thick shadows among the hourglass pillars. Could they all be dead? Obliterated by the explosion?
Since he saw no sign of enforcers either, Kostas called, “Anyone here? Are you all right? It's Kostas.”
Several gray shapes snuck out from behind conical columns, eyes wide, relief flooding their barely dusty faces. They must have escaped at the very start of their shift.
“Kostas!” Trixie's voice echoed from the rim above, close to the ceiling.
Thank the powers that be, she sounded whole. “Stay there.”
“I knew you would come.” Trixie's voice sang with relief.
“What happened to the lights?” Kostas searched for a place to set his lantern so all in the cavern could see.
“The EMP from the last explosion fried the lamps,” Trixie said, excitement clear in her voice.
Fortunately, electromagnetic pulses did not travel far through rock. The EMP had not affected the lanterns inside their new sanctuary... or worse, the weapons.
Tabor, Cheng, and Tom reached the cavern with more jostling light that illuminated the imposing hourglass pillars of the cavern. Recognition brought a happy murmur among the settlers. Their faces relaxed further as they realized more help had come.
Kostas set his lamp on a jutting boulder along the cavern wall, then rushed up the rockslide leading to the upper rim, where he could now see Trixie standing. Her breathing mask hung by its strap on her chest. She hugged the wall behind her, as if terrified of heights. Nevertheless, she inched her way toward him.
Kostas scrambled up the slide in a crunch of gravel that cascaded back down the steep slope. Within seconds, he stood next to her.
Trixie looked pale, but she smiled up at him, and the gratitude in her eyes melted his core. On impulse, he hugged her close, feeling the wild beat of her heart against his chest, reveling in the fragrance of her skin, her soft breath against his neck.
“You are safe,” he whispered tucking her head under his chin. He blew an unruly strand of blond hair.
Her grip on his waist tightened. Did she miss him as well?
When she relaxed her hold on him, he swooped her up and carried her down the rockslide. His heart thumped like a torpedo launcher in a heated space battle. She weighed so little. He caught her screwing her eyes shut and biting her lips. He'd guessed right about her fear of heights.
Her deep blue eyes opened to gaze upon his face. “I'm grateful we are both safe.”
Kostas couldn't help but smile. “Always delighted to be of service.”
“I'm so glad you are here.” The barely audible words came on a soft breath.
Kostas heard every nuance, and her words tugged at some strings in his chest. He paused in mid-step and deposited a light kiss on her forehead, then resumed his descent. When he reached the bottom of the slide, he dropped her feet to the uneven floor, but held on to her waist a little longer.
“I never want to be separated from you again.” His plea resounded like a self-repeating mantra, a prayer, a supplication of awesome power.
Trixie stiffened against him and quickly disengaged from his embrace. Their gazes locked for a moment, then her wide baby blue eyes turned to ice. “These people need help.”
What had he done wrong now?
Trixie turned away from him and marched toward the now chatty group of escapees. She looked so cute when she was mad. Kostas shook his head and stifled a chuckle.
“Let's get out of here,” Trixie ordered. “Tom, Cheng, take the lead. I'll close the rear with Kostas.”
Kostas followed her. By the Halls of Montezuma, he'd never understand women.
* * *
In the relatively private area to the side of the sanctuary cave, but still in full view of the settlers, Trixie faced Dolores. They sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor, and Trixie was thankful for the comfort of the black sweats. The Zerker bodyguards crouched in a semi-circle behind their queen. Trixie could sense Kostas at her back, so close she could feel his reassuring heat.
He'd insisted in standing as her personal bodyguard, and Trixie had accepted. She knew there was more to his concern than the welfare of the settlers. He'd told her he didn't want to be separated from her ever again. What did that mean? She didn't know if his tenderness could be faked, but could a clone possibly have those kinds of feelings? As if her own attraction to Kostas didn't create enough confusion in her heart.
She berated herself for showing weakness in front of him. Kostas had seen her cringe with fear of heights, and she'd desperately clung to him when he'd given her that unexpected hug after coming to her rescue. Trixie appreciated his protective tendencies. Right now, however, she didn't sense any danger from Dolores or her escort.
The handful of Zerkers, on the other hand, shot worried glances at the garrison volunteers, who stood along the cave walls, bristling with knives and swords at their belts, rifles at the ready. Trixie had requested this show of force to balance the scales of power. The Zerkers may have great numbers and may know their tunnels, but the settlers displayed determined, trained warriors, armed with deadly weapons to defend their sanctuary.
Trixie could barely recognize her former communications officer. Dolores had changed, not just in appearance, but in demeanor. She seemed to have matured. She looked serene, satisfied... glowing with happiness, as if she really enjoyed her new life. Did she?
For the sake of the negotiations, however, Trixie must respect the woman's choices.
“You see,” Dolores said in her warm Hispanic accent, “If we help you, we hope you share your food rations with us, so we do not have to hunt Humans for food... until we have large animals in abundance for hunting.”
“How do you know the Noah’s Ark project was started?” Trixie assumed Kostas told her.
Dolores smiled mysteriously. “We know.”
Trixie shrugged. “With the crops coming soon, it shouldn't be a problem.” She also realized the Zerkers had probably exterminated the original fauna through excessive hunting. Could it happen again? “McLure's animals will reproduce quickly. Specially engineered for the climate, they are also extremely fertile, to speed up the spread of life all over the planet.”
“What do you want from us in exchange for the food?” Dolores narrowed her eyes as if daring Trixie.
“Other than peace?” Trixie glanced back at Kostas. “You want to explain?”
Kostas nodded and sat next to her, crossing his legs. “We need to get to the shuttle sitting on the roof of the capitol without being detected by the satellites.”
Dolores had a slow, knowing smile. “We know a tunnel that can lead you there.”
Just as Trixie hoped. “Do you als
o know how to get to McLure's house unseen?”
Dolores nodded. “What are you planning?”
Trixie swallowed hard, but she had to trust Dolores. “The only way to get rid of our common enemy is to raid and destroy their ships.”
Dolores' brown eyes widened. “That is a daring mission.”
Kostas smiled, exuding confidence. “There are only two Godds onboard their spaceship in orbit.”
“But I would guess they have automatic defenses.” Dolores chewed her lower lip. “What about the barge?”
“Fully automated.” Kostas looked comfortable, in his element. “Only enforcers on board... they will not act without specific orders, and by the time they get new orders, we should have things under control.”
“Should have?” Dolores sighed. “Listen. I understand how you think. And my people will not suffer from this rash behavior of yours. But be careful. My people say that when things go wrong for the Godds they return with entire armies.”
“They've already sent us their enforcers.” Kostas scratched his head. “That means they are desperate.”
Trixie nodded. “From what I understand of their situation, they are at war against a formidable enemy at home, and their military resources are taxed.”
“They probably don't have armies to send our way,” Kostas rushed to add.
“We have to stop them now, exploit our present advantage of surprise,” Trixie said with conviction. “If we wait, they'll catch us eventually, and we'll all die in these mines.”
Kostas cleared his throat. “If this duranium is not worth all the trouble we cause for them, they'll go get it on some other planet.”
Dolores frowned. “You think?”
“It just makes sense.” Trixie hoped Dolores would agree.
“I see...” Dolores hooded her eyes, as if in deep thought. Then her jaw clenched, and she took a deep breath. “My people will help you destroy our common enemy.”
Stunned, Trixie could not believe how much power Dolores wielded upon the Zerkers, to make such a decision without consulting anyone. “Are you sure all of your people will accept this arrangement?”
A mildly surprised smile spread slowly on the new queen's lovely face. “You do not understand, Captain. This is no democracy. The Zerkers do exactly as I order, or their brothers slaughter them for the soup pot.”
A ripple of disgust fluttered in Trixie's stomach. She couldn't control a gag reflex. Had Dolores eaten from that pot? Struggling to keep her last meal down, Trixie swallowed back a mouth full of regurgitated sludge.
“This alliance was entirely my idea,” Dolores went on, staring at Kostas and Trixie in turn. “Otherwise, all of you would be roasting on a spit for a feast.”
“We are grateful for your intervention.” Trixie straightened her back and took a deep breath. “Since you have such clout, might I also request to speak with all the abducted women among the Zerkers, in the days to come. I want to make sure they are given the choice to return to their tribe if they wish to do so.”
“Fine. Be my guest.” Dolores chuckled. “But you are in for a surprise, Captain. Your neat, little society is not necessarily the best this planet has to offer these women.”
Trixie extended her hand. “Do we have an agreement?”
“We do.” Dolores took her hand and shook it, to the frowning surprise of her bodyguards. “When do you need us to lead you topside?”
Kostas glanced at the mouth of the cave, where fading sunlight cast deep shadows at the bottom of the gorge. “We'll be ready when the suns come up tomorrow morning.”
Dolores nodded. “I'll be here at sunrise with the guides.”
Trixie relaxed, glad that Dolores would be here as well to ease communication. But the imminence of the raid brought home another kind of reality. Despite Kostas' expertise, they might all lose their lives in this very dangerous raid. Her chest clenched at the thought of losing him.
Dolores rose smoothly, head high, like the queen she was. Her bodyguards all but jumped up to their feet like coiled springs and snatched their flaming torches from a hole in the rock wall.
Trixie and Kostas stood up as well. Sensing the change in the air, the garrison volunteers and the settlers in the cave froze and stared at the small Zerker delegation.
Dolores inclined her head to the settlers, and Trixie wondered how many friends she had among them from their voyage. The fact that she considered the Zerkers her people still boggled the mind.
The bodyguards ushered their queen out of the sanctuary, encircling her on all sides.
As they disappeared along the tunnel, Trixie shook her head. “Not a prisoner but guarded all the same.”
“Not against her will, though.” Kostas sounded intimate, very close to her ear. “Only for her safety.”
“I still want to see it for myself.” Trixie didn't take the mistreatment of women lightly.
Kostas sighed in her ear, and she wasn't sure, but she thought he whispered on his breath, “Women.”
* * *
The next morning at dawn, aware of Kostas shadowing her like an overbearing guardian, Trixie followed Dolores and the two torch-bearing Zerkers along the tunnels. Tom, Tabor, and Cheng closed the rear. Leather squeaked, boots stomped, and weapons clicked against belts and gear as they walked. Trixie's unfamiliar light armor made her feel strange, but Kostas had insisted everyone on this team wore full body armor from his arsenal.
Overnight, they had planned and rehearsed their raid to the Goddian ship and packed what they needed to carry along in their backpacks. It was a small team. Only the five of them. The time had come for Trixie to prove that she could command and protect this Human settlement.
As they hurried through the tunnels, Trixie marveled at the intricate maze of passages, most of which looked alike, devoid of any signs or markings. Without compass or global guidance, they could easily get turned around and lose their way... with dire consequences.
Occasional stairs carved in the stone linked tunnels from different levels. The complex of caves, some natural, others dug out by artificial means, looked as if they'd been occupied long ago. An entire subterranean city might have lived there at one time.
“Amazing the Zerkers knew about these tunnels all along, and only attacked us once,” Trixie mused aloud.
“And just because they needed sturdy, five-fingered women,” Dolores volunteered as she kept walking at a brisk pace. “To fulfill their higher destiny.”
Trixie remembered their earlier conversation. “You did mention a legend...”
Dolores nodded. “Apparently, my new people will regain their dignity and will flourish again on the planet surface as a tribe, when all their children have five fingers.”
Strange legend. What was Dolores hiding? “There must be more to it.”
“There is.” Dolores cast Trixie a sideway glance. “A five-finger descendant of royal blood will one day restore their kingdom of old, through the awesome power of the blood tear.” She pointed at the large pear-shaped crimson gem hanging on her chest.
“A beautiful piece with a sad name.” Trixie suspected Dolores knew more than she let on.
“My people believe the stone is a talisman with magic powers,” Dolores said cryptically.
Trixie's steps hesitated, but she quickly caught up with Dolores. “You can't possibly believe in magic.”
Dolores smiled. “The way I understand it, the blood tear must be an ancient weapon of some kind. It will recognize the five-fingered hand of a direct descendent of its own royal line.”
“A DNA encoded weapon?” Trixie shivered with understanding. “Do you really think the Zerkers are descended from an evolved race?”
Dolores nodded. “Probably... long ago, is what I figured.”
The two Zerker guides ahead of them stopped in front of a door. They turned to their queen and genuflected briefly, saying something in their guttural tongue.
Dolores translated. “Here is where your Human traitor resides.”
&n
bsp; Apparently Zerkers had no love for traitors. They spat on the floor. One held both torches while the other raised his club.
“Wait!” Trixie whispered and laid a light hand on Dolores' arm. “Let me see that door.”
Dolores motioned for the Zerkers to stop. They froze and stared at their queen then at Trixie, who had dared touch Dolores, who stepped away from the door.
Trixie approached and scrutinized the smooth, thick wood. “Breaking it down is too noisy. It will alarm McLure to our presence. He might flee or call for help. We need stealth.” She glanced up at Kostas. “Ideas?”
Kostas raised his lantern, confirming that there was no visible lock.
“Barred on the inside?” Trixie only guessed.
Kostas pulled out of his belt a small metal detector and scanned the door. “Not likely.”
“Then there's a bolt on the other side?” It made perfect sense to Trixie.
“But look, the hinges are on this side.” Kostas smiled devilishly and handed his lantern to Trixie.
He inspected the bulky hinges. Furrowing into his cargo pants pockets, he retrieved a small laser tool and switched it on. The slim line of blue light neatly severed one bulky hinge. Kostas let it drop into his cupped palm and gently deposited it on the stone floor. Then he repeated the process for the other two hinges.
The Zerkers stared at him in silence with great intensity. When finished, Kostas motioned to Tom and Cheng, who shouldered the heavy door with him and set it to the side. The Zerkers glanced at each other in pure awe. The arched doorway now gaped open. Dust motes flew in the light of the lanterns illuminating an abandoned cellar with empty shelves and wooden barrels stacked up to the side.
Kostas winked at Trixie and took back his lantern. “Let me get McLure. You just wait here.”
“Hurry.” Trixie relinquished the lantern and watched Kostas slip silently into the empty cellar. She worried about him. McLure was a twisted man.
Within a few minutes, Kostas returned, half-pushing half-dragging at gun point an indignant McLure, wrapped in a comfy dark blue robe hiding his sharp, bony frame. Steely eyes narrowed, hands tied behind his back, a piece of clear tape sealing his mouth, the scientist exuded tangible hatred.
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