Marcael: A Terraneu Novel, Book Five

by Stormy McKnight

  Brennae had then asked Marcael how he felt about declaring mate status before the Antilles trip. She knew they had things to learn about each other and some things they needed to work on, but his feelings for her were as obvious as hers were for him. In the end, they had decided against taking mate status because even though Marcael was confident that he would be back in six months, there were no guarantees and he didn’t want to tie her down to his memory if the worst were to happen. She thought it was sweet, but the logic didn’t really make sense to her. If she felt like they were as close as mates were, what would be the difference if they said it out loud? His stubbornness was one of those things they needed to work on she supposed, because he had remained convinced that it was better this way.

  Sighing and rolling over again Brennae just couldn’t get comfortable. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the probe would be going through the portal in a few hours. The decision to do a mission was going to depend on the results of that probe. Everyone was preparing for it to turn into a mission for Marcael and his men, but Brennae was still holding out hope that it wouldn’t be necessary.

  “Are you going to be able to sleep?” She jumped at Marcael’s question.

  “I’m sorry. Am I keeping you awake?” Brennae turned and wiggled up the cot until she was face to face with him.

  “No. I was already awake.” Marcael spoke softly since it was early and voices carried from tent to tent.

  Brennae couldn’t resist and moved her fingers against the soft hair at his shoulder. “I know you say you aren’t worried about this mission.” She began, “Are you sure you are feeling up for it?” Brennae bit worriedly on her lip. “You only had a short time on Terraneu to build up your strength and the single sun of Earth is not going to be enough to keep you healthy. Not to mention if there was nuclear failure at any power plants, the sun may be blocked by—”

  Marcael gently kissed her effectively blocking what she would have said. Breaking the contact of their lips, he sighed. “Sweet one we have talked of this and nothing has changed. The scans will show if there is enough sunlight to sustain us. I am confident everything will work out.” He pulled her against him and kissed the top of her head. “If it comes to us going to Earth, I am going to be able to get through the mission only because I know you will be safe on Terraneu.”

  Brennae had played with the idea of trying to get to Earth with Marcael. She had considered jumping on the port pad at the last second, or hiding on some of the equipment going through. Then she had quickly decided against any of those things. She was an adult and making sacrifices for the good of the whole was something she needed to do. Marcael would not be able to keep her safe and do his job effectively if she was on Earth. Not to mention that the armor they were going to be wearing would protect them. How would she feel if Marcael or one of his men had to give up their armor to save her and were hurt in the process? There wasn’t any value in trying to go on this mission, and everything to lose.

  Marcael trusted her to stay on Terraneu and that is what she would do. She could always commiserate with Baylech’s mate Stephanie. Against all arguments she tried, he had decided to join the away mission. He had sworn an oath to follow Marcael and he was going to honor that promise. She had also seen her cousin looking sideways at Colle when she thought no one was looking too. She felt bad that Chloe hadn’t been able to come to Antilles. Whatever relationship her cousin had with the handsome newcomer, neither of them had fought to get her here. Brennae made a note to see if her cousin needed to talk when she got back to Terraneu.

  Brennae put her arm around Marcael’s waist and snuggled as close as she could get. She would hold onto him, as long as time allowed, then she would have to let him go.

  *~*~*

  Everyone gathered around the mission table. Her uncle was giving an update on what the probe had found.

  “The initial imagery shows some type of structure built around the port pad. Although it has deteriorated with age and there are holes in all four walls and the ceiling.” He pulled up a portable holographic image that showed the building he was talking about. “There are slightly elevated radiation readings, but all within an acceptable range.”

  Brennae drew in breath through her nose and puffed it out through her mouth. Marcael would be going to Earth, and her last hope that this wouldn’t be happening was just dashed.

  “We have shielded our equipment and your armor from the CEMPS.” Her uncle continued, “The first priority is to get our targeting satellite launched. It will find the CEMPS and destroy it, which should take no more than thirty days.”

  “After the launch of our satellite the priority is going to be reconnaissance.” Kneus looked around the room. “Our long distance probes should give us feedback on all of the continents. Search parties on the ground can give us an idea of the impact of the CEMPS on Scotland and if Marcael is comfortable, the surrounding areas. Only go as far as you feel confident that you are safe and will be able to make it back to the port pad.”

  “Cat, you are the military expert from Earth. What training did they give you for what would happen in an EMP attack. We can modify that to a global scale.” Everyone turned his or her attention to Catherine.

  “Some of the governments of Earth were equipped to handle different types of EMP’s. Nuclear, Non-Nuclear and Solar to name a few. There is a chance that those governments may have survived and are still operating. Although with the looks of that building over the port pad, I wouldn’t say that is very likely. If they are in operation, it is probably limited to small areas. I don’t think twenty years is enough time to have gained much ground on the CEMPS.” Catherine shrugged, “At any rate with over seven billion people, you can expect a lot of the population will have perished. There would have been a lack of water, food, medicines and just the daily amenities people were used to. I think you could expect, with the rise of disease and violent uprisings, a loss of at least ninety to ninety five percent of the population in the last twenty years.”

  Brennae looked at the women around the table. All of them had the last few days to work out in their minds how much Earth would have changed. She saw her mother grab her father’s hand and give it a squeeze. Her aunts and the other women all did a similar thing with their mates. The loss of life was staggering and Brennae could only guess at how that generation of women was feeling.

  “We have all the data we need. I would like to get my men through the portal and settled on Earth as quickly as possible.” Marcael moved to gather his men.

  “We will send the equipment first, that should only take about thirty minutes. Then we will be ready for you.” Kneus walked away with his son Knalech both of them had their heads bent over a tablet running numbers yet again.

  Everyone broke off into different groups. Marcael and his men were busy re-checking their gear. She knew he was obsessing over the small details because those things could be what got them into trouble. All of the team members going on this mission had learned Earth English in order to communicate with the natives if it became necessary. Brennae knew that the primary mission was supposed to be to destroy the CEMPS and gather information. They had been floating on the lazy river when she had asked Marcael what they were supposed to do if they came across survivors. He had told her they would only interact if it was life threatening and that they were not expecting to bring anyone back in six months.

  “The women currently on Terraneu were all either hand selected for their adaptability and temperament, or born here. How do you think the remaining Earth natives would fit in here? It will be up to the council to decide on what to do in six months. There will be a lot of decisions to make then I am afraid.” Then he had gone underwater and knocked her off her flotation device so that they were both soaked.

  Standing there waiting for the men to leave for Earth had to be the hardest thing she had ever done. Then it was time for Marcael to go and she realized she could happily have waited another lifetime. Her heart squeezed pa
infully as she thought of everything she wanted to say before it was too late.

  “Marcael...” Brennae had a huge lump in her throat and she was having difficulty talking around it. “I want you to take care of yourself.” She had to stop talking before she started crying.

  “I will.” Marcael looked at her and she saw the mischievous gleam in his eye. “Do not go having any fun while I am gone.” Brennae knew he was trying to make her laugh to keep her from crying.

  “I am going to have so much fun with you gone. You didn’t want to claim mate status, so I’m not waiting around for you.” She teased him back.

  His face got soft and he smiled sadly, “Yes…you will.” He kissed her and she held on for dear life. It wasn’t that long of a separation and he was very skilled at this kind of mission, so why was she so anxious about him going? For some reason she wanted to scream at him to stay. Earth could figure itself out, it wasn’t their problem.

  “Marcael.” Colle said from behind them. “It’s time to go.” He looked sadly at her and nodded good-bye. “Tell Chloe that I’m sorry. She’ll understand.” He adjusted his gear one last time and walked with Marcael to the port pad. He turned on the pad and raised her hand to wave one last time. Then his team was gone and the rest of Terraneu now had a six month wait.

  Brennae turned to help break camp when she saw that her family was all standing behind her.

  “He’ll make it back Brennae.” Her mother reassured her. “I know he will.”

  “Thank you mother.” She tried to smile but failed.

  “He has the best reason in the world to stay safe.” Her father offered.

  “I suppose you think that reason is me?” Brennae joked half-heartedly.

  “You?’ Her father smiled, “No. Your family is the best reason. We all threatened him with dire consequences if he hurts you. Not coming back from this mission would definitely fall under that category.” He laughed softly at his own joke.

  Brennae couldn’t help it she laughed as well.

  “Seriously though Brennae,” her mother nudged her father aside, “Marcael is crazy in love with you and he will make it back. You just have six months to wait, and then he will be home. ”

  “Will he mother?” Brennae asked earnestly, “What happens if there are other missions to Earth. You don’t think Marcael won’t volunteer for those as well?”

  “Your father is training another team so he would not be asked to go every time.” Her mother grabbed her hand and squeezed, “A lot can happen in that time to change a person. Just be patient and get through these six months. We will take everything one step at a time.”

  “I never did understand your Earth sayings mother.” Brennae teased.

  “Yes, you do.” Her mother just walked away. Over her shoulder she said, “You are your father’s daughter Brennae. You made everyone proud by standing by Marcael and letting him do this mission without making a scene or trying some crazy way to go to Earth. Your Aunt Mairi would have jumped on the port pad naked to go with Knollig.”

  Her aunt had been standing a few feet away and heard her name. “What did I do?” She hurried over with Aunt Catherine and Aunt Gwen close by. “Did you just slander my name?”

  “Mother just said you would have jumped naked on the platform to be with Uncle Knollig.” Brennae teased. She had heard the story of her aunts’ courtships with her uncles a lot over the years. In her Aunt Mairi’s case, her Uncle Knollig had been hard to catch. The jumping naked from the bushes story was one of her favorites.

  “That is probably true.” Her aunt laughed heartily, “I can’t pretend indignation over that one, but at least I wouldn’t have shot him like Cat to keep him here.”

  “I only ever shot Kneus once.” Her Aunt Catherine huffed, “Am I ever going to live that down?”

  There was a chorus of “No” around the group and her aunt laughed, “Well at least I don’t still cause riots with the way I tie my dress.”

  “I love the way Mairi looks.” Knollig hurried to defend his mate, “I wouldn’t change a thing about how she ties her dress.”

  Everyone walked laughing and joking to clean up the camp. When they were finished and it was time they made their way to the port pad to Terraneu. It was while she was saying good-bye to Zerxix that she got a surprise in the form of a pitch black, female baby sacath. The Antillean hunters had found its mother deceased and brought the sacathie to their camp. They knew that Brennae was the sacath whisperer and would be able to help the infant.

  “She’s beautiful.” She gently held the sacathie against her chest and ran her fingers into its soft pelt. “I love her!”

  Now she had something to keep her busy for the next six months!

  Chapter Twenty Five

  “What a hellhole!” Colle groaned. “I was missing Terraneu after the first day, imagine how I feel now that we’ve been here a month.”

  Marcael just inclined his head. He had missed Brennae the moment they left Antilles. He knew it was going to be hard, he just had not realized how hard. The only thing keeping him moving on this mission was that it was only six months for crying out loud. He had done thousands of years of service to Knuan. He could do one hundred and eight days on this rock.

  The first thing on his mission list was to launch the targeting satellite. That was done the first day and now they just had to hope it found the CEMPS. So far, the monitoring equipment was not showing any success on that end. They were getting back some good information from the long distance probes though. As far as he could tell, there were pockets of life all over Earth, including the island they were on. Thus far, they had not found anyone in Scotland. However, Mairi’s grandfather Callum McPherson had told him, “Some Scots would be hard to find if they didn’t want to be found.” Therefore, if they were in hiding there were good at it. He would continue to send men as far out as they dared and see if they came across anyone eventually.

  “What is the radiation reading tonight?” Colle moved to sit with him.

  “The numbers are still climbing but remain within tolerance levels.” Marcael read the information off the display then waited for Colle to settle before he asked the question he had been asking every night for a month.

  “Are you going to tell me about Chloe?” He knew there was something happened between the two, but Colle had refused to say what was wrong. His friend must have been tired of avoiding the question because he finally answered.

  “I care for her and want her as my mate but she is happy with the rules that allow the females to date as many males as they want.” Colle sighed, “She is young and not ready to settle down with one partner.”

  Marcael was silent for a moment taking in his friend’s response. “Does she have another that she is dating besides you?” He was sure he would go mad, or commit murder if someone else touched Brennae. After having nothing to call his own for so long, he would go crazy if he had to share her. She was all that was soft, pure, and good in his life and he needed her more than the two suns of Terraneu. He would have to remember to tell her that when he saw her again. Make that if he saw Brennae again he thought. Looking again at the radiation readings, he sighed then returned his focus to Colle.

  “There is another she is dating. As long as they don’t claim mate status the rules allow for them to date others and that is a good thing.” Colle muttered unhappily.

  “How can you say that if it is causing you such misery?” Marcael asked.

  “The freedom of choice is what I want for Chloe. She has to believe that I am the one mate she wants for the rest of her life. If I can’t make her feel that conviction to commit to me...then I am not the male for her.” Colle looked at Marcael, “I hope you realize how lucky you are to have found what you have with Brennae. It is not something that everyone has.”

  Marcael knew what Colle was saying was true. The regret of not signing up for housing at New Haven hit him hard.

  “Don’t go getting all depressed on me now.” Colle jested with him. “Wh
en we get back to Terraneu we will have another chance with our women.” Marcael noticed Colle’s eyes went to the radiation readings and then back to his.

  “Yes.” Marcael inclined his head. “When we get back.”

  Before they could talk further, there was a shift change. Baylech and Mallex were returning from patrol. There was nothing new to report. There was a sudden dinging sound from one of the computer systems and they all rushed to see what it was saying. The report they saw was the best news imaginable. The targeting unit had fired on and destroyed the CEMPS. Everyone around the camp cheered and Marcael finally let himself smile. One mission accomplished, now all they had to do was keep going for another five months.

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Brennae walked along the path in New Haven. She had just left her parents dome and was going to visit Stephanie. Her new constant companion was at her side. She had named the sacathie Star after the bot from the Elyon. Without the STARR unit’s help, she never would have made it off the ship.

  “Brennae!” She heard her name and stopped to turn around.

  “Hey Chloe, what’s up?” Brennae waved at Celeste as she hurried along the path in the other direction.

  “Nothing really, I was going to work with Emma at The Watering Hole but I needed to ask you something first.” Chloe was pulling at one of the curls on her shoulder, a sure sign that she was nervous.

  “Okay,” Brennae smiled to reassure her cousin. “You can ask me anything.”

  Chloe looked around and moved toward one of the benches along the path. When she had gotten comfortable, she finally spit out the question that was bothering her. “How did you know Marcael was the one?”