by Ky Tyrand
Now it was Je’nna’s turn for a slow response. “I don’t know what we’re heading into,” she said gravely. “For CST-1 not to respond…”
“We’ll find them, Je’nna,” Ki’ara assured her. “We’ll find them and bring them back.”
“They might already be dead.”
“They’re not,” insisted Ki’ara, feeling guilty for bringing it up. She looked over Je’nna’s shoulder when the bike began to slow. “What is it?”
She spotted the front of CST-1’s rover parked on the side of the road, backed into the smallest of clearings.
Je’nna coasted the bike to a stop. “We’re here.”
25
They climbed off the craft and took a peek into the rover. It was another hi-tech looking vehicle, though it didn’t hover like Je’nna’s bike. This one was on four wide, deeply-treaded, tires that stood it high enough off the ground to straddle most of the rocks that the girls had to dodge. Its shell was smooth and sleek, painted mottled shades of greens and browns to help it blend into the jungle. The cab was no bigger than it needed to be in order to fit four tall soldiers, with two bucket seats in the front, and two directly behind. A snug fit for CST-1.
In the back was narrow open area that looked like could be used for a variety of purposes, with some additional fold-down seating and storage capabilities. It was much narrower than the front cab, as the sides were lined with compartments that could be accessed from both outside and inside the vehicle.
Je’nna opened a couple of them after pressing her hand to a scanner, and commented, “They’ve taken their gear.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means they’ve taken their gear,” answered Je’nna sarcastically, before adding in a softer tone, “It means that everything was normal up until they left on foot.” She closed the cabinets and pointed at the vehicle. “See how they parked?”
“Backed in,” observed Ki’ara.
“Right,” said Je’nna. “Something they would always do before an op, just in case things got ugly and they needed to make a quick getaway. No marks on the vehicle. They took the time to back in, they gathered all their gear, and then they headed off. Just like we’re about to.”
Ki’ara frowned. “So whatever happened to them is going to happen to us.”
“The trail up to Sirona’s cabin is there.” Je’nna pointed into the shadows. “With the jungle so thick, there aren’t a lot of options for getting in. CST-1 would have treated this as a peaceful retrieval. Two of them would have stayed back or taken concealed lookout positions, while the other two would have marched up to her front door and politely invited Sirona back to Sanctuary.”
“And something happened to them between here and there.”
Je’nna shrugged. “Something happened to them. Somewhere.” She retracted a portion of armor from her thigh, revealing a small rectangular device that had been held in place there by her Mu’turi. Removing the hand-sized object, the girl held it up and touched the black, flat face. An area near the top of the screen began to glow, moving as Je’nna turned from side to side.
“What’s that?” asked Ki’ara. It reminded her of the mapping gadget Je’nna had used to help them locate the Abnukadin.
“Detects energy signatures,” said Je’nna. “It’s how I found you at the Inn. This close, it should pick up CST-1’s weapons and armor, if I can get the frequency right. But I have to set it to ignore everything within ten paces or our own gear will throw it out of whack.”
Ki’ara could tell something wasn’t right when Je’nna shook the device, and then tapped it against her hand.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s weird,” replied Je’nna. “Where it’s showing energy is a lot farther away than Sirona’s cottage.”
“What’s weird about that?”
Je’nna stepped back, out onto the road, for a better view. She looked up from her screen and pointed. “That mountain,” she said.
Ki’ara’s eyes followed Je’nna’s finger to a black rocky cliff that stuck straight up out of the trees a short distance into the jungle. “They’re way up there?”
“No,” Je’nna tapped the device again. “According to this, they’re inside it.”
Ki’ara’s eyes fell back to Je’nna, when she noticed lights in the distance. “Je’nna, look…”
Sparkling lights – torches perhaps – far down in the valley below.
“Your friends from the Inn,” Je’nna assumed. “We have to hurry.”
“What’s the plan?” asked Ki’ara.
Je’nna hopped back onto the bike. “Wait here,” she said, as her craft whooshed up the road.
Ki’ara was suddenly by herself in the dark, on the side of the road, wondering if she’d been abandoned. Everything was silent around her. She materialized the helmet around her head. “Uh, Je’nna?” she said into the communication device.
“At the Rover,” crackled Je’nna’s response.
Ki’ara turned around, and there was Je’nna with her hands in one of the side compartments. The Princess opened her helmet and trotted over to see what the other girl was doing. “Where did you go?”
Je’nna was preoccupied, searching for something specific. “Hid the bike,” she said absently. She spotted what she was looking for, and snatched a bar that reminded Ki’ara of what the harness had looked like before she put it on.
“What is it?” asked Ki’ara.
Je’nna ignored the question. “How much do you weigh?”
“I don’t know,” said Ki’ara, not impressed by the rude question. “More than you.”
Je’nna frowned. “Are you sure?”
“I’m guessing so, shorty,” barked Ki’ara.
There was a grimace as Je’nna leaned back, scanning Ki’ara from head to toe. “You’re kind of scrawny.”
Ki’ara fought the urge to swat the girl.
Je’nna tossed the bar back into the cabinet and grabbed a different one. It looked the same, but a different color. “Take this,” she said. “It’s the weakest.”
Ki’ara folded her arms. “You’re giving me the weakest one?”
Je’nna nodded, stuffing it into Ki’ara’s unmoving arms. “Trust me, it’s for the best.” She grabbed another one just like it, but a different color yet. “Besides, that one’s for me. Turn around.”
She didn’t wait for Ki’ara to turn. How can she be so strong, wondered Ki’ara, after being spun around. She felt something click to her back. “What is that thing?” she demanded, trying to look over her shoulder.
“Put mine on,” ordered Je’nna, turning.
Ki’ara could see where it fit. Each end lined up with the small circular mechanisms on the back of the girl’s harness – one in the small of her back, the other at the base of her neck.
Je’nna’s pink pigtail brushed her face.
“It’s upside down,” she was informed. “What, are you trying to kill me? Turn it over.”
“Kill you?” argued Ki’ara, flipping the device end for end. “I don’t even know what this thing is!” She pressed it onto Je’nna’s back, and it locked securely into place.
“It’s a Grav-Regulator,” stated Je’nna.
“What’s tha…”
Je’nna grabbed her by the shoulders. “Ki’ara, we don’t have a lot of time. I know this is a crash course. Let your Mu’turi through it, just like the harness. It’ll make more sense.”
Ki’ara nodded, and relaxed. Her Mu’turi poured through it, and then her eyes met Je’nna’s. “I don’t understand.”
“When you open it down here, your weight will be cut to almost nothing.”
Ki’ara tried to register what Je’nna was saying. “Down here?”
“The higher you go, the lighter you get,” explained Je’nna. “Go too high, and you might not come back down.”
“What?”
“I’m kidding,” laughed Je’nna. “You could never jump that high. Besides, if you close the G.R., you will come down.
”
Ki’ara nodded, her eyebrows were up. “Great.”
“Don’t worry. You shouldn’t get high enough that your harness won’t protect you if you drop.”
“Shouldn’t?”
Je’nna frowned. “These things were customized for CST-1. They’re all a lot heavier than us.” Seeing that her words weren’t instilling a lot of confidence, she added, “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine. Do you think I would be doing this otherwise?”
Ki’ara wasn’t sure. From what she’d witnessed, Je’nna seemed capable of doing all kinds of stupid stuff if she needed to. “Alright. What do I do?”
“This all comes down to timing and balance,” explained Je’nna. “You can feel the G.R. through your Mu’turi?”
Ki’ara nodded.
“Good. The trick is to open it the instant you push off the ground. Too soon and you won’t sink in for a strong push. Too late and you won’t get any momentum.” Je’nna stepped away from the other girl. “Watch…” She jumped up into the air, launching herself high over Ki’ara’s head, before landing softly on the roof of the Rover. The girl made it look as easy as hopping onto a stair.
“Whoa,” whispered Ki’ara. She noticed the expression on Je’nna’s face turn grim as she looked down the valley. From her perch, Ki’ara imagined the girl could see the lights of the Royal Guardsmen getting closer.
“You try,” said Je’nna, turning her attention back to Ki’ara.
The Princess took a breath, and was about to open the G.R. when Je’nna called…
“Wait!” she hopped down beside her, as light and graceful as a bird. “Put your helmet on first.”
With her nerves already on edge, Ki’ara’s heart nearly popped through her chest at Je’nna’s sudden warning. She closed her helmet, hiding the glare that she cast at the other girl. Cautiously, Ki’ara opened the regulator. She immediately felt the effects throughout her suit and body. It was as if she weighed nothing at all! Springing up on her toes, her feet left the ground with surprising ease.
She landed softly, daring to spring a little higher the second time.
After some trial jumps that took her higher and higher each time, Ki’ara understood what Je’nna had meant about timing and balance. It was easy to tip one way or the other, and hard to correct yourself with nothing but open air to hang onto. And, just like Je’nna warned, if you opened the G.R. too soon, it was difficult to drop down for a push – as if you were moving in slow motion, and had to wait in order to sink low enough to kick off. If you opened it too late, you were lifting your entire bodyweight, which acted like a brake.
But, when Ki’ara got it right, the feeling was amazing. Just like the apex of their jump across the canyon – a weightless sensation that made her tingle to the tips of her fingers and toes.
“When you’re first learning, it sometimes helps to squat down first,” Je’nna suggested. “That way you’ve already sunk down in case you activate it too soon.”
She was right. If Ki’ara crouched low, it didn’t matter so much if she opened the regulator too soon.
Je’nna grabbed her rifle from its spot on the bike, and put it over her shoulder. The armor didn’t prevent her Mu’turi from taking hold of it, clasping the firearm in its usual spot on her back.
“Okay, crash course is over,” she declared. “We’re going in. You ready?”
Not even a little bit. “Yeah, let’s do it.”
“Can you see?”
Nope. “Sure.”
“Focus on something dark, your visor should adjust.”
Shouldn’t be too hard finding something dark… Everything lit up, but the colors were washed away, replaced by shades of green. Not at all what she was used to, but far from the strangest technology she’d discovered today.
“Now?”
“Yeah. It’s weird, but I can see.”
“Good. Okay, follow my lead. Jump forward – it’s easy to go up, but even easier to lose forward momentum. Aim for the tree trunks. We’ll be lighter up there, and have something to push off of.
“Got it,” acknowledged Ki’ara.
“Here we go.” Je’nna took three steps and flew.
Ki’ara watched in awe as the girl glided to the nearest tree – a straight, towering palm with leafy frons only at the top. She didn’t have any trouble catching hold of the course column and supporting herself with a single hand and foot.
“Your turn,” Je’nna’s voice came through the communicator in the helmet.
Ki’ara ran and jumped for it, planning to soar up next to Je’nna. But instead of gliding gracefully to the tree, she plunged straight into the bushes.
Stupid timing.
“Is this what you meant by ‘Crash Course’?” Ki’ara cursed and fought her way out of the foliage, ignoring the words – “You okay?” – that echoed through her helmet.
After deciding that a running leap was out of the question, Ki’ara sank into a lunge position, and launched.
She flew through air, trying to get used to the strange feeling of not having anything under her. Her legs kicked. Her arms flailed. The whole thing was completely unnatural.
Ki’ara was certain the tree she was aiming for must have somehow moved out of the way, because she couldn’t have missed it from a greater distance had she jumped in the other direction altogether.
She saw Je’nna clinging to the side of the tree trunk like a cat, waving at her as she floated by. Ki’ara was too busy clawing for branches and wind to return the wave. This is stupid, she thought to herself. “How long does it take to get used to this?”
“Days for some. Years for others,” said Je’nna. “You’re about to set a record.”
“Perfect.” Her momentum was slowing, without anything to grab hold of. Nowhere to go but down, back into the tangle of brush. Feeling herself begin to descend, Ki’ara wasn’t expecting the sudden push that came from her side.
Once again, Je’nna had come to her rescue, using her own momentum to carry them both to the nearest tree.
“Thanks,” said Ki’ara, catching hold of the trunk. She wasn’t sure how high up they were, but it looked like a long way down.
“Aren’t you supposed to be afraid of heights?”
“Nah,” replied Je’nna. “Not in the suit. Besides, this isn’t that far up. Now those canyons – those are too high.”
“You weren’t scared to jump one on your bike?”
Je’nna shrugged. “I had the suit.”
Eyes going wide, Ki’ara replied, “I didn’t!”
“You’re not afraid of heights,” replied Je’nna, matter-of-factly.
Ki’ara scowled. “How much farther is it?”
“We’ve just gotten started, Ki’ara. There’s still a long way to go.”
“And this flying around … is it really necessary?”
“The jungle’s too thick for any route other than the trail; and we can’t go the same way in as the others did, or whatever happened to them will surely happen to us.”
“I could cut a path with my…”
“It would take too long, and the light from your weapons would be a beacon to draw attention. Look,” Je’nna pointed. From their vantage high up in the tree, they could see straight down the valley. The lights that had been at the bottom a short while ago, were now halfway up. “They know where we’re going. But they don’t know that something happened to Dar … CST-1. No sense in clearing a path for them if the one that’s there might slow them down.” Her helmet turned back to Ki’ara.
The Princess could barely see Je’nna’s eyes through the visor, but she knew they were watching her.
“We need to move quickly, Ki’ara. Whatever’s happened to them, we have to find them before those soldiers get here. I can get there quickly by myself, and I don’t think anyone would spot you here if you stayed quiet. But…”
“What?” asked Ki’ara.
“I need your help, Ki’ara,” replied Je’nna. “I don’t know what’s in there.”
“Good,” said Je’nna. She turned to leap off the trunk, but stopped. “I think you’re trying too hard.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I think I told you too much about using the G.R.”
Ki’ara thought the opposite. You didn’t tell me anything.
“Don’t try to think about every step. Just relax. And jump.”
With that, Je’nna leapt off the towering column, leaving Ki’ara to think about her words.
One deep breath later, Ki’ara followed. She relaxed, tried not to plan it out, and jumped.
What a difference!
The Princess soared through the night sky, practically weightless as she reached the apex and began to descend toward the next tree. Right on target. Her arms didn’t flail. Her feet didn’t kick. In fact, her hands were down at her sides, pressed tight to her hips. Her legs were straight, toes pointed, helping her slip through the air.
Seeing her coming, Je’nna spun to the other side of the trunk and launched before Ki’ara landed. “That’s better!”
Ki’ara caught hold of the tree and pulled herself in. Easy. She swung around to the other side, spotted her next tree – which Je’nna was still flying toward – and jumped for it. Now that it was beginning to click, the whole thing was kind of fun! She even found herself giggling when she hit the apex – that instant when she felt completely weightless.
“What’s that sound?” Je’nna’s voice crackled in her ear.
“Nothing,” Ki’ara chuckled.
“Are you laughing?”
“No.”
“It’s kind of fun, isn’t it?”
“Maybe.” Ki’ara caught up to Je’nna at the last of the tall palm trees. “Are we there already?”
“No, but that’s the last of the easy stuff,” replied Je’nna, pointing ahead. “Tanglewood from here on.”
Unlike the branchless vertical columns of the palms, Tanglewood had a wide canopy of thick branches pointing out from the trunk, which was often hidden by the dense mass of woody vines that shrouded the middle. The vines hung down off every branch, eventually rooting themselves to the ground in a way that supported the branches and allowed them to grow far longer than typical trees would allow.