Liam turned back to Saturn and nodded.
“We’d better get moving. Even two kilometers could take all day in this.”
Ju-Long pulled his machete from his leather belt with a smile crossing his face for the first time in days. His brown leather tank top had hardened scales sewn into it. Ju-Long’s biceps bulged as he gripped his weapon tighter. He used the blade to pick Nerva plant from his teeth and said, “I never shy away from a good workout.”
Ju-Long led the way to the edge of the clearing, followed closely by Saturn, still watching the screen on her wrist. Nix remained behind looking troubled.
“What is it?” Liam asked.
The Dinari bore a worried expression, made more pronounced with his wringing hands. His deep yellow eyes darted around the tree line, searching for something unseen and unheard. He said softly, “It’s the silence. You’ve heard it too?”
“Narra was terraformed wasn’t it? Maybe no animals were introduced here.”
“No, while my knowledge of this world is limited, I do know that this place once teemed with life. We know the Ansaran researchers conducted experiments here during the war, but the nature of which evades us. There were rumors of testing on lesser animals. Terrible stories. It’s curious though, isn’t it?”
Liam considered the apprehensive Dinari and suggested, “Maybe something drove them away.”
“If that’s true, I only hope we don’t encounter whatever caused the silence.”
It sounded like Nix was worried about more than Ansaran researchers, but Liam didn’t get a chance to ask. Saturn called to them from the edge of the glade, “Are you two coming?”
Liam slicked his damp blond hair back behind his ears and pulled his machete from his belt, waving to Saturn. He told Nix, “I hope so too.”
Nix nodded and followed Liam to the others at the edge of the jungle. The Dinari pressed a button on a flat circular device in his palm and The Garuda’s ramp retracted, clanking shut. He returned the device to the inner pocket of his tunic and pulled a long knife from a horizontal sheath attached to his lower back.
Liam tightened his grip on his own blade, a knife with a slight curve that looked pounded together from multiple alloys, swirling with different colors of metal. His eyes scanned the jungle’s edge as he approached, keeping them trained on the vines overhead and searching for signs of movement. After his run-in with the Kraven a few months earlier he wouldn’t be caught unaware again.
12
Liam hacked through a vine the size of his neck and continued trudging through the dense foliage. Ju-Long was just in front of him tirelessly cutting his way forward. It was midday by Liam’s estimate, but few rays penetrated to the jungle floor. The dirt had become more compacted under his feet as they walked, making him wonder if they’d found an old path. In the last hundred meters Ju-Long had to cut fewer and fewer branches. Though the path couldn’t have been used recently, but it was the first sign Liam had seen that someone had once lived in the area.
Liam heard a twig snap off to his right and he put his hand up to stop Saturn and Nix behind him. He whispered to Ju-Long up ahead, “Hold up.”
Ju-Long turned around and rested his machete on his sweaty bare shoulder. He’d taken off his shirt and wrapped the soaked leather around his waist, several of the scales popping off when he tied off the rough animal skin. Between the physicality of their trek and the humidity Ju-Long was dripping from head to toe. He said without regard to the volume of his voice, “We’re almost there, we should push on.”
Liam held up his index finger to shush him while he looked around the jungle canopy for movement. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw something and quickly turned to see several large leaves fluttering down to the packed soil. To his left Liam saw a flash of something green and whipped his head around.
“There,” Liam said pointing to a thick branch off to the left of the path.
Ju-Long approached him to see where he was looking, but said, “I don’t see anything.”
“Me neither,” Nix said.
Liam felt a sharp point in his back and he instinctively turned and slashed with his blade. The tip of a wicker spear fell to the ground and a frightened young Dinari dropped the other end and scooted away. His skin was patched with the same greens of the jungle, perfectly camouflaged to his environment. Ju-Long leveled his machete, ready to pounce.
“Wait,” Nix yelled, making his way between Liam and the young Dinari.
“There could be more of them,” Ju-Long said.
“I’d expect so,” Liam said. “This one doesn’t look old enough to be out on his own.”
Nix turned his back to Liam and knelt down in front of the Dinari child. “We’ve come from Garuda Colony along the outer reaches. Will you take us to your elder?”
The young Dinari whispered something to Nix, who looked over his shoulder to Liam and said, “No, they are not Ansaran, nor are they Kraven. They are friends.”
The Dinari didn’t look convinced and pointed toward the path they’d been following. He said, “We don’t go this way. The masters will not have it.”
“Is that where the Ansaran Research Facility is located?” Saturn asked.
The child’s eyes gravitated to Saturn. For a moment he said nothing, and then finally he nodded and whispered, “No one goes inside. Empty for weeks. The elder has said, so it is true.”
“Will you take us to your village?” Nix asked.
The frightened Dinari objected, “I will get in trouble.”
“You are already in trouble,” a stern voice said from behind them.
Liam turned to see a towering Dinari with similar markings, his golden eyes narrowed at them with one hand gripping an Ansaran laser pistol. His was muscular in the chest and shoulders but his shape tapered off at his waist, leaving him with a lean but strong foundation. He dug the hooked claws on his feet into the soil, perhaps out of frustration with the young Dinari. His deep voice boomed, “Go, Vec.”
The little Dinari ran, quickly planting his foot on the trunk of a tree and then acrobatically leaping up to a high branch, disappearing into the dense vegetation.
“What do you want with the elder, outsiders?”
Nix stood and sheathed his knife. He cautiously approached the large Dinari and replied, “We’ve been sent here regarding the research facility. What do you know of it?”
“From what planet do you hail?”
“I am Nix of the Planet Garuda. These three humans are with me. They’ve become stranded in this system and something in that facility could help them return to where they came from.”
Liam noticed Ju-Long twinge as Nix explained. They were there for far more dangerous reasons, but the plight of someone simply wanting to return home resonated with most people. He had to give Nix some credit.
Nix continued, “What can I call you?”
“I am Jalin. Protector of the free Dinari of Narra.”
Ju-Long opened his mouth to ask a question but Liam stopped him. Nix nodded politely and said, “An admirable post. The elder, will you take us?”
The Dinari lowered his laser pistol a few centimeters and considered Liam and the crew.
Nix insisted, “This is a conversation best suited for the elder. There is much to tell and our time wanes.”
Jalin shifted his gaze between each of the crew as though gauging their intentions. Liam sheathed his blade and urged Ju-Long to follow suit. The Dinari finally lowered his weapon to his side and stood up straight.
“Very well,” Jalin said. “Follow.”
•
The large Dinari pushed past a tangle of vines, leading the crew into a glade filled with makeshift huts. The miniature homes were built from downed tree branches and held together by flexible vines. The roofs of the huts were made from a branch framework with large leaves woven in to protect from the rain. Liam felt as though he’d traveled back in time. These Dinari had almost no technology, but what they did have looked scrapped from Ansaran l
eftovers. He wondered how it was possible that Nix and these other Dinari could be so different and yet so similar.
At the edge of the village several more Dinari appeared. Liam and the crew reached for their weapons but they were quickly taken and the crew was restrained by the beefy guards. They were led to a square hut at the center of the village, in steep contrast to the much smaller rounded dwellings. Two torches were lit on either side of the entrance, providing a little light inside the entryway but hardly enough to see by.
The guards shoved them through the doorway one by one, remaining outside to ensure they couldn’t leave. In the near darkness a figure sat cross-legged in front of them. A faint glow appeared inside his closed hand, seeping out through the cracks. He opened his clawed hand and the orb floated there, growing with intensity until the room was fully lit.
An ancient Dinari sat before them grinding away at a bundle of leaves in a little cup. He banged a stone instrument against the side of the bowl and picked up a pinch of the crushed leaves.
“Why have you come?” the old Dinari asked, his glazed eyes turning questioningly to Nix.
“Zega sent us. He sends his regards and regrets that he couldn’t make it.”
The timeworn Dinari let out a hearty laugh, ending with a throaty cough. “Zega lives. Of course he would be alive. The bastard never had the good sense to die.”
“You know each other?” Liam asked.
“Zega is known on many worlds, but he’s rarely welcomed on any. Yes, I’m afraid to say I knew him. I’m the only man I know to whom he owes a favor.”
Saturn smiled and said, “I was hoping we’d be the first.”
“What do you know of the Ansaran Research Facility nearby?” Nix asked.
The elder held up his handful of crushed leaves and sprinkled them over his tongue. His golden eyes opened wide and his pupils dilated. He blew out a calm breath of air and said, “My people were brought here generations ago to serve the Ansaran researchers. We did as we were told until a few short weeks ago. During the night, several cargo ships came and went. When we reported for duty the next day everyone was gone.”
Liam itched the long scar on his cheek, which guided several beads of sweat down his face. He’d gotten used to the heat from Garuda, but the humidity was another story. He asked the elder, “Do you know a way into the facility?”
“We were never allowed inside the main facility. Attached to the side of the structure are living quarters for the Ansaran guards. We would clean and cook for them there.”
The elder’s eyes seemed far-off. Whatever plant he’d consumed had a profound effect on him. Nix was intent on the crushed green substance, worried for his fellow Dinari. Liam wondered if Nix knew what it was.
“Are you alright, elder?” Nix probed.
“I’m not as young as I once was. This herb keeps my mind off the pain so I can focus.”
Nix gave the elder a look of pity. His respect for the elder seemed to be deeply rooted, something uncommon on any human colony. Their traditions were old, perhaps the only thing they could cling to after the war. Liam frowned and asked the elder, “Without supplies from the Ansarans, how will your people survive?”
The elder’s eyes focused on him and he said, “We all have our burdens to bear. We are Dinari. We will find a way.”
“And what of this silence?” Nix asked.
“I suspect it is the Ansarans’ doing, but there’s no way to be sure. This world still has life, and we will find it, even if we have to move this village.”
“Elder,” Nix began, “We need to get inside the research facility. The lives of good people depend on what we find in there.”
“War is coming,” the elder muttered.
Liam exchanged looks with his crew. Saturn and Ju-Long had kept awfully quite during their exchange, but suddenly Ju-Long was interested in the conversation.
“I have seen it,” the ancient Dinari continued. “The Ansarans, they prepare for battle.”
Nix asked, “What do you mean?”
“If they have abandoned this post then they are consolidating their forces. They expect an attack. The Dinari, most of us unassuming, will be the foot soldiers. The decoys. I do not care what becomes of this war, so long as my people are safe.”
“If war broke out you wouldn’t help?” Saturn asked harshly.
“Help whom? If the Dinari help the Ansarans win we’ll be no better off. If the Kraven win the war they’ll be focused on the Ansarans.”
“Until they’re all dead. Then who do you think they’ll come after?”
“Saturn, that’s enough,” Liam ordered.
“If the Dinari want to live they need to rise up,” Saturn objected.
“Look at my people,” the elder said. “We are not warriors. Most of them are sad the Ansarans are gone because now they have no one to serve. Out of a hundred perhaps five would rise and what then? We have only a few weapons that were discarded by the Ansarans.”
Saturn huffed and stood up, making her way toward the door and pushing past the Dinari guards. Liam couldn’t help but agree with her, but now wasn’t the time to be making enemies or starting revolutions. They had a mission to attend to that might inform their next move.
“I’m sorry about her,” Liam apologized.
“She is headstrong, but means well,” the elder said.
“Will you show us to the facility?”
“Jalin will show you to the facility, but be warned. The way into the main facility is a mystery to us. If you do find a way in pray you do not find an Ansaran straggler. They won’t take kindly to intruders.”
13
The Ansaran Research Facility was a massive metal structure with a round curve to its outer façade. Countless vines gripped the sides, seemingly pulling it into the ground. It was only a single story tall, but Liam had a feeling there was much more beneath the surface. The rounded main building had a sloping roof reminiscent of a shallow dome. Off to Liam’s right was a square building attached to the main structure that appeared to be built as an afterthought.
Jalin led them around the structure, carrying their weapons in a mesh bag slung across his back. Despite emphatically demanding their weapons be returned, the elder wouldn’t have it until they were clear of the village. Even then, Jalin wasn’t giving in until he left them. It seemed the elder’s prior relationship with Zega curried them no favor. Or, perhaps more likely, it was because of his prior relationship with Zega that he was being cautious.
The Dinari guide wore form-fitting leather shorts, sweat glistening down his bare back when the rare burst of sun seeped through the jungle canopy. Liam looked at Nix, whose skin was perfectly dry, though his mouth hung open and his long tongue panted like a dog. The differences between them were subtle but they were there.
Their guide stopped in front of the entrance to the living quarters. A wide rectangular door with ribbed horizontal strips of metal stood before Liam, its faded red paint job chipping away in places to reveal bits of steel underneath. Jalin put his muscular arm into a hole in the wall. The Dinari’s arm was bathed in blue light and he jumped as a needle penetrated his scales. Once the needle retracted he removed it and rubbed the red spot on his upper forearm. “The Ansarans never were the trusting sort,” he told Liam.
A few moments passed before Liam heard a rumble from behind the entryway. The red door split in two along a solid metal track, large copper gears in the framework churning along with its slow procession. The living quarters was only dark for a moment before a dozen orbs began to illuminate, hovering centimeters from the ceiling.
The room was a mess. Clothes and papers were strewn everywhere and plates of food sat uneaten on a round table near the small kitchen. Two rows of cots stacked three high extended toward the main structure on Liam’s left while a row of lockers and tables inhabited the section to his right. The room wasn’t as large as he’d expected, with perhaps enough room to house twenty Ansarans. Near the front of the bay a weapon rack sat empty
save for a few rifle straps hanging over the top.
“Looks like they got out in a hurry,” Liam remarked.
The crew was silent as they entered the living quarters, Saturn and Ju-Long each taking a side and investigating. Jalin appeared restless, fidgeting with the strap over his shoulder and refusing to stand in one place. He looked out of place in the entrance of the facility. His chameleon-like features only worked with the vegetation outside.
“We are here without permission. If you would weather the risk, then stay. I’m leaving.”
Jalin turned and moved a few steps before Nix stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. The Dinari turned and regarded Nix quizzically. His familiar golden eyes betrayed his fear.
Nix smiled and asked in his most polite voice, “Thank you, friend, but would you mind returning those?”
He noticed the strap in his hand and removed the mesh bag from his shoulder, clanking it down on the metal floor of the bay. He regarded Nix, oblivious to Liam’s presence, and said, “Apologies. Live well, or die quick.”
Nix struggled to maintain his smile before patting the guide on the back and watching him disappear into the dense jungle.
“What was that about?” Liam asked.
Nix picked up the bag of weapons and turned to Liam. He responded so Saturn and Ju-Long wouldn’t overhear, “The phrase? It’s a remnant of the war, but it’s not used in civilized conversation. He assumes we’ll die if we continue.”
“This Narra breed sure has a lot of doubt.”
“They don’t know anything different. They’ve been secluded here. Though, I don’t think it will be much better elsewhere. On Garuda you’ve had the occasion to meet some of the more radical of our kind.”
“Well let’s not prove him right,” Liam said before searching through the mesh bag and pulling out his weapons. “Come on.”
Saturn was busy searching through lockers when Liam and Nix approached with the bag of weapons. She looked up and asked, “What exactly are we looking for again?”
The Corsair Uprising Collection, Books 1-3 Page 23