by S. E. Smith
Bracin pushed off the rock. “I get the woman,” he said with a grim expression.
“Whatever you do, don’t play with her for too long or I’ll leave you here,” Zare replied, spitting on the ground and signaling to two additional men before he headed for the steps leading up to the top of the cliff.
* * *
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* * *
“I not sleepy,” Ami whined, yawning and rubbing at her eyes.
“Of course you aren’t,” Destin teased, reaching into the transport and pulling Ami out of her seat. Razor paused beside him, frowning.
“Honestly, I don’t know how you kept her awake all the way back,” Kali remarked, chuckling when Ami shook her head and clung to Destin.
“It was the tickle monster,” Destin replied, rubbing Ami’s back when she laid her head against his shoulder.
“Tickle monster,” Ami repeated.
“She will miss you when you leave,” Razor said. “Wait here.”
“What’s wrong?” Kali asked, glancing around.
“I’m not sure,” Razor murmured, turning in a slow circle.
Destin felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on edge. He motioned for Kali to take Ami. The little girl must have sensed something was wrong as well. She went to her mother without a sound of protest. Destin stepped closer to Razor when he scanned the courtyard.
“What is it?” Destin asked.
“I need to check the security sensors,” Razor murmured. “It is too quiet. We have several birds living in the tree near the far wall. They are normally very active at night.”
Destin nodded. He remembered asking Kali about them the first night he stayed here. She said the flock moved into the tree shortly after the house was completed. They only grew quiet when a storm was approaching or if someone got too close to the tree.
“Maybe our arrival spooked them,” Destin said, glancing over at the tree.
“Perhaps,” Razor replied. “With the threat of the Waxian and Drethulans forces, I increased the security around the inside perimeter as a precaution.”
“Surely they wouldn’t be stupid enough to try to attack you here?” Destin muttered.
Razor released a deep breath and shook his head. “No, but I would rather err on the side of caution, especially with Kali and Ami here.”
“The sensors would pick up anything unusual, wouldn’t they?” Kali asked, cradling Ami tightly against her.
“Yes,” Razor said. “It is probably nothing.”
Kali looked at Razor and shook her head. “Destin and I learned to trust our instincts. It is one of the things that kept us alive. If you feel something is off, then there is probably a good reason. Why don’t Ami and I stay near the transport while you and Destin check out the house?” she suggested.
“How about Razor checks out the house while I stay here with you and Ami? Or better yet, why don’t you put Ami back in the transport and take it up into the air while Razor and I check things out. I’d feel better if I knew you two were somewhere safe,” Destin said.
Kali opened her mouth to protest before she closed it and nodded. “I hate to say this, but I think that is a brilliant idea,” she reluctantly agreed. “Razor….”
Razor turned and gazed down at her and Ami. He stepped closer and brushed his knuckles along Ami’s small cheek before he pressed a kiss to Kali’s lips. His eyes were dark with emotion.
“I will notify you when to return. If I don’t, or you see anything, return to Hunter and Jesse’s home,” he ordered.
“I will,” Kali replied, knowing that it was her responsibility to keep Ami safe. “Hopefully, it is just a bad feeling.”
“Let us hope,” Razor murmured before nodding for her to return Ami to her seat.
Razor reached under the pilot’s seat of the transport and withdrew a laser pistol and a long blade. Destin shook his head when Razor started to hold a laser pistol out to him. Instead, he bent down and withdrew the knife tucked into the top of his boot. He had slipped the knife into his boot out of habit when he got ready for the wedding hours ago.
They both stood back and watched Kali guide the transport up out of the courtyard. As an added precaution, she guided it back toward the main road. Once she was clear, Destin turned to Razor and nodded.
He silently followed Razor to the front of the house. They scanned the area before Razor motioned him to take the back entrance. Destin turned and headed around the side. He paused at the gate. Disengaging the lock would make a soft noise. Instead, he took a few steps away from the house, parallel to the fence, then turned toward the house, ran and jumped. His feet hit the side of the house and he twisted as he pushed off, landing on the thick stone fencing separating the front from the back.
Crouching on the top of the fence, he remained frozen while he scanned the backyard. There was no movement. Destin dropped down to the ground and moved along the shadows. His fingers tightened around the handle of his knife and he stepped carefully along the path. Once he made a thorough sweep of the back garden, he stepped up onto the covered patio. He relaxed when he saw Razor step out of the back door.
“Anything?” Destin asked in a low voice.
“No,” Razor replied with a grim shake of his head. “Noth….”
Destin cursed when he caught a flash out of the corner of his eye. He dove forward, wrapping his arms around Razor and driving them both back through the open doorway. A smothered hiss escaped him when he felt a line of fire rip across his left shoulder. The knife he was holding flew from his hand and skidded across the floor when they hit the hard marble.
Almost immediately, he rolled to the right while Razor rolled to the left. Both of them sought cover when several more bursts of laser fire scorched the interior wall. Destin searched the darkness of the room for the knife he dropped.
“I count two, but there are probably more,” Razor said, glancing over at Destin. “How did you know?”
“I caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye and a flash,” Destin replied, grimacing when he felt the sting in his shoulder. “Do you have any other weapons in the house? I appear to have misplaced my knife.”
“Locked in my office. We didn’t want Ami finding them,” Razor muttered, glancing back out the doors. “Look out! They have RWDs.”
“RWDs? What the hell are…?” Destin started to ask before he scrambled for cover when four small flying disks flew through the door.
“Remote Weapon Devices,” Razor growled. “They have to be Waxians. They are known for using them.”
Another curse escaped Destin and he rolled when one of the RWDs shifted toward him. A series of red lasers lit up the area where he had been. A second one came in and took aim at him. Destin rose to his feet and jumped over the long bar area into the kitchen.
Razor fired on the two weapon devices, striking the one turning toward Destin before striking the second one when it turned to fire at him. Destin barely saw the movement before he tucked into a roll. Pulling open a cabinet, he grabbed the lid of a large silver pot when a third RWD flew over the counter. He lifted the lid, using it as a shield when the RWD rotated and fired on him.
Surprise and triumph swept through him when the laser fire was deflected by the curved, mirror-like surface of the lid. The RWD spun when it was struck by the ricochet of its own assault. Destin’s silent shout of victory was short lived because another device entered the room.
He scrambled under the kitchen table when it flew around the corner, then peered out from between two chairs, and remained still. He wasn’t sure where Razor was now or how many more of those damn flying machines there were. He had caught sight of four so far. If that was all of them, then they should be down to one. No sooner had that thought flashed through his mind when another RWD flew into the room from the opposite direction.
“Shit,” he muttered under his breath.
Destin scooted back across the floor under the long table, trying not to disturb the chairs. He could tell that on
e of the RWDs was the one that had been damaged. It was having trouble staying airborne. A grim smile curved his lips when an idea came to him. He waited while the undamaged RWD hovered over the counter, scanning the area where he had been.
Sliding out from under the table, he carefully crouched and watched the damaged remote wobble in the air. Gripping the lid, he reached for a piece of fruit in the bowl on the table. He wrapped his fingers around one of the pear-shaped pieces and slid back down. Almost immediately, the damaged remote turned back toward his end of the table. Destin waited until it was almost to the end before he rolled the fruit across the floor. Both RWD units turned toward his bait.
Destin rose up when the damaged RWD turned its weapon on the fruit. He grabbed the edge of the RWD with his left hand and swung it around just as the other unit refocused on him. Both RWDs fired. With his right hand, Destin lifted the lid, deflecting the burst of fire aimed at him, just as the damaged RWD’s fire struck the other unit. The unit exploded in midair over the counter. Flaming pieces of the unit rained down into the sink. Destin swung the lid up and used the edge of it to slam into the bottom blade of the RWD in his hand, then lifted the sputtering, dying machine and smashed it against the thick stone pillar separating the kitchen from the dining room.
Destin dropped the unit when it started to glow a brilliant red. He ran the few steps back to the table and rolled over it. The RWD exploded, creating small, but deadly projectiles. The pieces cut through the air, impaling shards of hot metal into the cabinets and the wall behind the table.
Lying flat on the floor, Destin peered through the legs of the chairs at the molten remains of the RWD unit. He cautiously pushed up off the floor and stood up, making sure he kept his body hidden behind the wall. His gaze swept over the counter, pausing on a knife next to the sink that Kali had used earlier to cut up some fruit for Ami. His fingers closed around the handle and he turned back to the area where he had last seen Razor.
5
Sula piloted her transport over the sea for most of her journey to the cove where she was to meet Destin. The twin moons lit the water below her, the light from them reflecting off the gentle swell of the waves. She enjoyed following the trails of bioluminescence that curved through the water behind several of the larger sea mammals that swam along the coast.
One of the females from the pod rolled onto her back and lifted her long, slender head out of the water. Sula could see the white underbelly before the female twisted back around. The vivid greens and yellows shimmered under the water, outlined by the tiny light-emitting organisms. Her large fins created a wake and the calves immediately swam forward to cavort in the small waves.
Turning back toward shore, Sula realized she had gone farther south than she intended. She retraced her path along the shoreline, approaching from the opposite direction than the trip she made this morning. She wasn’t worried; she would still be earlier than she had anticipated. Within minutes, she was circling around the cliff and into the cove.
The beach at the cove was fairly large and she had plenty of room to land the small transport. As she slid out, the cool wind coming off the ocean welcomed her, brushing against her face and tugging at her hair. The sound of the waves lapping at the shore drew her, just as they had this morning. This time, a peaceful feeling washed over her as soon as she stepped on the beach. She bent down and removed her shoes, tossing them into the transport before she closed the door.
Her toes sank into the sand. It was still warm from the heat of the sun. One day she would have a home of her own on the water where she could spend her mornings and evenings swimming.
Sula wrapped her right arm around her waist while her left hand rose to touch the medallion she was wearing. She had changed out of her formal clothing into something more casual. The black leggings and body suit hugged her figure. She wore the traditional silk covering over it. This one was a dark red with black onyx beading. The red, slip-on shoes were comfortable, but she had always loved to go barefoot when she could. The feel of the sand against the bottom of her feet and between her toes had always been a joy to her. Her mother still despaired about her habit of abandoning her footwear when she was home.
“I wonder what Destin would think of such a thing? A woman from the royal house of Usoleum who hates to wear foot coverings,” she murmured to herself with a smile as she curled her toes into the sand.
Sula turned toward the sound of a transport. It was hovering over the forest that lined the rocky landscape above.
She walked back along the beach to the narrow passage between the rocks to see if she could get a better view of it. Her fingers skimmed the rock on the inside as she walked through the narrow tunnel. She paused near the opening, peering down the beach before stepping out. She faced the narrow stone staircase leading up to the top, and her eyes widened when she heard a faint echo of an explosion and what sounded like laser fire.
“Something is wrong,” she whispered urgently, stumbling a few steps back into the shadows. “That is where Chancellor Razor’s dwelling is.”
Sula glanced back up to the top, unsure of what to do. Her eyes widened when she saw another transport sitting farther down on the beach. This one was much larger.
She turned and flew back through the gap in the rocks to her transport. Her hands trembled when she pulled the door open and reached under the seat for the weapon she had stored there. Pulling it free, she reached for the communication switch.
“Emergency transmission. Request immediate assistance at Chancellor Razor’s dwelling,” she stated in a cool voice that belied her fear.
“State your emergency,” a voice immediately responded.
“There is an unknown transport on the beach and I heard the sounds of laser fire and an explosion coming from the direction of Chancellor Razor’s dwelling,” Sula responded.
“Emergency personnel have been dispatched. Please remain connected until they arrive,” the voice ordered.
Sula glanced back toward the opening, looking in the direction of the transport she had seen earlier. She shook her head and refocused on the control panel of her own transport. If the Chancellor was in danger, she was sworn to do everything in her power to help.
“Negative,” she replied in a clipped tone. “This is Councilor Jersula Ikera of the Usoleum council. I will assist Chancellor Razor.”
Sula gripped the baton in her left hand. With her right hand, she released the fastening of her outer cover. It slid off her shoulders and she tossed it onto the seat of the transport. She closed the door and pressed in the code to lock it, then retraced her steps to the narrow tunnel between the rocks. The first thing she would do is make sure that the other transport was disabled, and then she would do what she could to assist the Chancellor.
* * *
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* * *
Destin paused in front of the doorway leading out into the back courtyard. In the far left corner of the garden, the gate that led to the path he had used this morning was open. Faint sparks still flickered from the destroyed locking device. Near the center of the garden, the shadowy figure of one of the intruders warily scanned his surroundings while moving toward the wall. Destin silently moved away from the door to the window.
A grim smile curved Destin’s lips when he saw a brief glimpse of Razor. The Trivator rose from behind some shrubs near the wall. In seconds, both Razor and the man had disappeared behind one of the trees. Destin saw four more shapes moving in the darkness. It wasn’t that difficult to see them considering the second full moon was beginning to rise.
Note to self, check the moon phases if you are going to try to attack at night on an alien planet, he thought as the man became clearly visible when he stepped up onto the covered patio.
Palming the knife, he decided not to risk throwing it. He had no idea if the man was wearing any protective gear. If he was, Destin didn’t want to lose the only weapon he had. Instead, he moved farther back into the shadows near the door. He would take the man out whe
n he stepped inside.
Destin remained motionless, controlling his breathing and waited. With the light from the moons, he would only get one chance to kill the man and get out of view from the others moving through the garden. He stared at the entrance, willing the man to look the other way when he entered.
A surge of adrenaline pulsed through him the second the man cleared the doorway. Destin reached out and pulled sharply on the arm that was holding the weapon. He kicked just above the man’s ankle and twisted him around. Destin and the other man both raised their free hand, Destin’s gripping his knife, and the man’s moving to intercept the blade. A line of laser fire from the man’s comrades cut a path across the man’s chest.
Well, I don’t have to worry about killing the bastard. Good thing, because he’s about five inches taller than me, Destin thought.
The man’s dead weight threw them both off center and then backwards. Destin grunted when the corpse fell partially on top of him. Once again the knife in his hand slid free and spun across the floor. Destin muttered a curse and awkwardly thrust the man’s dead weight off his legs.
Razor must have seen what happened, because suddenly the interspersed shots Destin heard became the rapid staccato of cover fire. Out of the four men left, Razor struck two. The move gave Destin time to grab the laser gun from his dead attacker’s hand and roll to pick up his knife.
“I’ll be damned,” he muttered when he found the first knife he had dropped as well. He quickly picked it up and slid it back into his boot, then gripped the other one in his hand. “Now that the odds are a bit more even, let’s see what they’ve got.”
Rising to his feet, he checked the laser gun. It was different from anything he had fired before, but similar enough that it didn’t take him long to figure out how to make it work. He slid the kitchen knife under his belt, gripped the pistol, and moved into position beside the doorway. He leaned to the side to glance outside again, but jerked back when a blast cut through the opening.