The Vixen War Bride
Page 18
Patricia turned to Ramirez. “Don’t do that again, she said. But nicer.”
“Understood!” Ramirez replied quickly, still wincing in sympathy with the unfortunate tod.
A vixen in the crowd caught the first part of Alacea’s statement and spoke up.
Yasuren stepped forward and raised her fan to her mouth.
Despite the fact that this news essentially meant their complete surrender, several cheers went up from Va’Shen who had become quite weary of living in caves like animals. Several vixens turned to each other and clasped hands in happiness, their tails waving behind them. Nearby, Patricia translated the statement for Ben and Ramirez, who seemed relieved.
Alacea breathed a sigh of relief. She had half-expected the villagers’ reaction to be negative. In the end, however, it seemed that most of her people simply wanted the return of some kind of normalcy, even if that normalcy meant living down the road from their enemies. She and Yasuren had assured them that they would be safe, and they were willing to set aside their fear and believe that if it meant going home and returning to something that looked like their old life.
The redheaded tod grimaced at the news. Nearby, Ramirez pulled Patricia aside and the two spoke for a minute. A moment later, the Ranger approached the farmhand.
The tod studied the Dark One suspiciously, unsure of what to make of the last ten minutes. He had fully intended to beat this alien into the ground and couldn’t. Then, once defeated, he had expected the Dark One leader to demand his head for his impudence, and instead they had come to his defense against the Na’Sha and Yasuren. Now, he was speaking as if they were friends.
He wasn’t prepared to go that far, but there was no dishonor in stating the obvious.
Ramirez turned to an exasperated Patricia. “See? Friends!”
Patricia growled. “Men.”
The Huntress growled quietly to herself.
Chastened, Bao Sen dipped her head.
“She says they’ll get their people ready, but they’re going to need time,” Patricia told him.
Ben was already nodding. “It’ll take time for the SeaBees to get the cave mouth open. Can they be ready to move day after tomorrow?”
Patricia turned to Yasuren.
The terp bit her lip.
The Va’Shen woman bowed again.
“It would also help if they can start digging from this side,” Ben said. “We and the SeaBees can meet in the middle.”
Patricia nodded and turned back to Yasuren.
Yasuren bowed in affirmation. she said. Pasharo and the rest of Hakan’s farm hands can atone for their actions through their labor.
“That’s a ‘yes,’” the terp told Ben.
“Good, I’ll let Baird know,” Ben told Patricia. “You stay here and assist where needed.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Ben turned to go, but Ramirez stopped him. “Sir! Just a thought.” His voice dropped to just above a whisper. “It took twelve of us a full day to get here. Near five hundred civilians loaded with baggage, we’re probably going to spend a night in the bush.”
“Yeah,” Ben agreed. “I don’t see us being able to push through on that path once the sun goes down. Let’s make sure they’re ready to camp for a night, and that they bring food and water to get down to the trucks.”
“Yes, Sir.” Ramirez rejoined Patricia and the Va’Shen, who were already talking, and Ben started for the tunnel that would lead him back to the cave entrance. The Va’Shen he passed all gave him a wide berth, some bowing their heads reluctantly as he went. None made any effort to communicate with him beyond that. That was good. He preferred it that way.
The trip down the tunnel took several minutes. When he arrived, a huntress standing guard saw him and stood up, watching him carefully. He didn’t spare her a moment’s thought and absent-mindedly climbed up to the small patch of black that led outside, dropping to his knees and then his stomach before low-crawling through it.
Crawling on his forearms, elbows and knees, the inky darkness left him feeling alone and claustrophobic. He could, however, hear the faint sounds of shovels moving dirt in the distance ahead of him. A part of him wanted to use the brief alone time to think about what had happened to him during the fight, but an equal part of him was adamant that he didn’t want to revisit it. He got distracted. That was all.
He stopped crawling and lay there. It was so dark and quiet here, a part of him wanted to lay his head down and sleep, to forget about everything else that was happening; the nightmares, the insomnia, and now those nightmares intruding on reality. He tried to mentally chase away the idea that there was something wrong with him inside, but it gnawed on him, briefly fleeing for a moment when chased away, but rushing right back as soon as it could like a wild dog.
Ben wouldn’t be the first guy with issues stemming from combat. He survived an explosion, a vehicle roll-over, a hand-to-hand fight with an enemy soldier who tried to kill him in his sleep, and various other perspective-altering tragedies that come with three years on the front line of the world’s first interstellar war.
And, not to mention, the complete destruction of his home colony and the death of his best… wife.
It was a struggle, but he managed to get his right hand into his pocket, his fingers to wrap around the tightly folded piece of paper there. Here, alone in the dark, he almost felt it was the right time to take it out and look at it. No one else around, no Va’Shen nearby. Not even the starlight to intrude on him.
He let go of the paper and started to crawl again. This wasn’t the time, and a dark hole in a mountainside was certainly not the right plac
e. He didn’t know yet what that time and place looked like, but it couldn’t be here and now.
And here and now wasn’t the time to wonder if he was crazy, not with the lives of his Rangers and the mission still in doubt.
The digging got louder, he could see light. Almost without realizing it, his hand broke into moonlight, and someone took it.
“I got ya,” he heard Burgers announce. He let the big man pull him out of the tunnel and help him to his feet.
Ben took a look around and found the SeaBees and Rangers had made decent progress on opening the mouth of the tunnel. He nodded appreciatively. “You guys have been busy,” he said.
“Not much to it,” Burgers said. “Dirt’s soft. It’s just a matter of clearing it out. Montrose says we’ll probably break through in a day or two.”
“Great,” Ben said as he caught his breath from the crawl. “Deal’s done. Todd’s coming home. They’ll start digging from the other side.”
“Awesome,” Burgers said.
“How’s it been out here?” Ben asked.
“Shinzato up in the observation post said he saw movement about an hour ago,” Burgers reported. “Maybe a scout, maybe an animal, but he didn’t engage.”
“You can bet they got someone up here keeping an eye on us,” Ben said. “They’d be stupid not to.” He faced Burgers. “Pass the word that if you do see them, don’t engage unless you’re attacked.”
“Already done, Sir,” the muscular NCO told him.
Ben nodded. Burgers was a good noncommissioned officer. He already knew Ben’s intent and what he wanted. “We’re going to try to get out of here day after tomorrow. Make sure our folks get enough rest. When we leave, we’ll use the ATV to carry any wounded or anyone who can’t make the trip on their own power.”
Burgers nodded along. “Not a lot of room on that four-wheeler,” he pointed out.
“According to their leader, Yasuren, they don’t have any majorly ill people. Hopefully it won’t be needed at all.”
The NCO nodded again.
“Make sure you get some sleep,” Ben told him directly.
“I’m taking this watch, then I’ll turn it over to Corporal Carter,” Burgers told him. “He’ll take it until dawn.”
Ben searched his memory for the name and frowned. “He’s not from the 5th,” he concluded.
“Yeah, he’s a transplant from 40th Infantry, but he’s pretty squared away.”
The Ranger captain nodded. “Okay. Need anything from me?”
Burgers shook his head. “Any luck and we’ll be meeting you all for dinner tomorrow. How’s Ramirez doing? He score a date with any of those fox girls yet?”
“No, but they did catch him rolling around with a tod.” With that, Ben turned and started to climb back into the tunnel.
Burgers frowned. “Damn, I thought he was at least smart enough to tell the difference!”
After the Aderen had broken up, Alacea bowed to her Tesho and the other Dark Ones and quickly left the scene. She had not had a moment to herself to think since she left her cell in the enemy camp, and all she wanted now was to sleep in a tent surrounded by her fellow Mikorin where she could feel safe and at rest.
She certainly did not want to be around when her Tesho returned from the tunnel entrance. Now that the formalities were complete, he would find himself at leisure. She did not want to end up his entertainment.
As she was passing a row of dark blue tents, a hand reached from between the folds of cloth that made up the entrance of one of them and grasped her, pulling her inside.
Alacea squeaked in alarm, her tail puffing out as she turned to face her attacker. Her hand went to her chest as she sighed in relief.
The tall, green haired vixen, Kastia, said nothing as she pulled the priestess away from the entrance and to the back of the tent. Standing her on a clean, violet blanket that had once been the skin of an animal, the vixen turned and opened a tall, decorative wooden cabinet that stood nearby.
Alacea covered herself in angry alarm.
Kastia turned back to her, a roll of grey bandages in one hand and a glass vial of clear liquid in the other.
Utterly confused, Alacea’s tail whipped back and forth behind her, her ears flattened atop her head.
Kastia bit her lip, her tail twitching limply against the ground in sadness at the sight of her friend in such a state of denial. She put the bandages and bottle down and took Alacea by the arms.
The priestess’s tail went limp as she finally realized what Kastia was so worried about.
Kastia gave her a dubious and saddened look.
Alacea asked, scooping up her monpei and quickly putting it back on.
Kastia was perplexed. she said.
The healer bowed deeply.
Alacea cut her off.
They stood there in silence for several moments. Alacea heard the sound of glass bottles being moved around and turned to find Kastia rooting through her cabinet. When the healer turned around again, she was holding a vial of green fluid.
Alacea took the vial and stared down at it. She felt tears spring to her eyes. Her first instinct was to ask if she had any more to give her but looking at the concern and fear on her friend’s face, she suddenly found herself feeling very guilty. Everything that had transpired over the last three days had occurred because of the choices she had made. She had gambled not just her life, but the lives of everyone in her community, on her belief that the gods would demand they adhere to the old traditions and bind the Dark Ones
along with them. If she was wrong, then it could very well be her green-haired friend who might soon be wishing she had this vial of liquid with her.
She took Kastia’s hand and gently placed the vial back into it.
the priestess broke into the thought.
The hair on Kastia’s tail lay limp, brushing the floor in defeat. Her ears flattened against her head as if to keep Alacea’s words out.
Alacea wrapped the other vixen’s fingers around the vial, her decision final.
The priestess stepped back as Kastia continued to stare down at the floor. She turned to go.
Alacea paused at the tent flaps.
Three years earlier
1st Lieutenant Ben Gibson and two members of his 1st Platoon looked down at the contents of the hole in wonder. The hole wasn’t natural. Someone had obviously dug into the soft red soil of Epsilon Eridani’s third planet and placed the objects there, but why they did and what they were was a mystery.
“What do you think they are?” Specialist Brandon Hobbes asked from Ben’s right.