Merker's Outpost

by I. Christie

  Travel tube? Looks like you have a wild rebel streak, my dear. Oh joy! We are going to hear about this when we return. I don't think the general's description 'to find a safe place until the area is secure' meant to hide out in another city, but then…some people are more creative than others in situations like these.

  The area was dark as both women slid out of the maintenance tube. Their helmets showed no life forms around them. JG selected a car from the collection in the side rail that could be activated with a push. While JG sat behind the controls, Alexandra pushed it out onto the rail.

  Figures she would take the drivers seat. Helgas Moon! If this were any heavier, I would be overloading my suit with panting that would out do a woman in labor. Next time…she pushes and I steer!

  She hopped into the small car as it moved, with JG starting it up. It quickly moved down the rail, further into the heart of the planet.

  Neither spoke on their silent journey. The major used hand gestures when they slowed at rail crossings where Alexandra needed to get out and move the lever to change the direction of the tracks, then move them back again to avoid detection of their where abouts. Alexandra suspected that JG was heading to the erased area on the planet map. It was a tip of Iota. When the expedition to the area was not as detailed as Major Zohra and her staff would have liked, she suspected the major would do something about it, though not like this. The woman and some of her cohorts had already been moved to another assignment, off the planet.

  On this adventure, Alexandra was merely along for the ride. She knew this was not the time for Alan's arrival. Whatever trouble they had left behind them in the Lair, was probably something Alan thought up to test defenses and rattle everyone's nerves. Besides, she was getting bored too, and thinking more about it, was looking forward to some action.

  The car began to slow down. JG's hands moved over the controls guiding the car to a safe stop. According to the data files, this area was once a thriving metropolis, with a busy transport area that utilized the Southern Rim as an airport.

  As they stepped out of the cart, the major signaled to Alexandra her intent to investigate the area that had little information on it.

  Alexandra smiled and mouthed a disbelieving 'no kidding,' at the smirking face behind the mask.

  Neither trusted their communication links so they used standard Spartan hand signals. Alexandra noted that the area they were in had no breathable air for their species. Carol-Maa had said the planet had continued to nurture its own planet species in some of the cities. She wondered if this was one of the places where the planet's natural life forms lived.

  Alexandra stopped in her tracks. Helgas Moon tides, woman! Of course! MaaSa isn't a solid form…he could be referring to another dimension that our eyes can't see or our sensors are not picking up! We only scan for what we know! Dahh! So, this could still be a thriving metropolis, like Waterland.

  JG who was moving to the tunnel opening turned to peer at her partner whose hand on her shoulder had left suddenly. Alexandra brought her hand up in a gesture as if to slap her forehead.

  JG signed to her concerned.

  Blasters, Gari. How do I explain this to you? Alexandra thought frustrated. She pulled JG against the tunnel wall and signed the spelling of the Enuits of Waterland.

  JG shook her head and turned quickly to see a shadow pass by.

  Gari, listen to me, please! Alexandra pleaded mentally.

  JG turned back to look at her surprised.

  Gari, can you hear my mental speech?

  JG's eyes opened wide as she nodded.

  It's got to be this planet and the intensity of our thoughts. I believe the beings that are here, are like the Enuits. We cannot see them, but they are here…everywhere. The city is still here! Alexandra imagined the solid world and then something that was as shadows existing superimposed over the solid.

  JG looked puzzled then nodded in understanding.

  Well, that explains the shadows moving around, Major Zohra thought partially relieved. Now she just had to figure out what their intentions were. JG signed to Alexandra that that was what she was seeing before them.

  Alexandra's eyebrows rose and she moved in front of her lover to see around her. She stilled herself and shifted her awareness to another level. She nearly fell back into JG when the shadows took on a more visual form of swirling colors.

  There is a whole city here! Alexandra took a deep breath and watched the movement of images, as they appeared to be going about their business. Some glanced her way but did not alter their direction.

  The major tugged on her sleeve, demanding an explanation at what she was seeing.

  Gari, there's a whole city here! There's movement of shapes, beings, like they are very busy. Some see us but they don't seem to care. Alexandra's fingers moved quickly repeating what she thought.

  JG sighed mentally. She was hoping another meld would not be called for here. Then there was this new development in their relationship. Reading each other's minds was not something she was comfortable with. She was really going to have to be careful with what she thought. A sudden grin made its way to her face, and she gave Alexandra a quick look.

  No need. A small group of forms are moving toward us. Uh, oh. I sure hope the energy that's dancing around them doesn't mean we're in trouble.

  JG moved immediately in front of Alexandra, facing forward but not knowing exactly what she was facing. They were still gray unclear shadows to her.

  Relax your eyes, Honey. It's like when you relax to meditate. She put her hands on the soldier's shoulders to help her.

  JG felt Alexandra's hands rest on her shoulders and the effect on her vision was almost immediate. She breathed in slowly at the shift in her sight. Some of the energy forms appeared to be approaching at a fast clip and were in whirling colors that she needed to determine were threatening or not.

  Relax just a bit; they see us as…too bright…probably from our emotions, Alexandra coached.

  The major changed her thoughts to less defensive ones hoping that was what Alexandra meant, but not wanting to be too trusting or let whatever they were facing to think they were easy pickings.

  The energy patterns, as Alexandra identified them, stopped just short of the entrance of the tunnel they were standing in.

  Well, Gari, here is the test…

  Alexandra slipped from around JG and taking the major's gloved hand pulled her out of the tunnel with her. She stopped two boot lengths outside of the tunnel.

  In Alexandra's mind, she tentively connected with the spirit of the planet and sent a respectful thought of blessings upon it. Both waited as the various colors around them mixed closer to one shade with occasional lights of other colors flickering across what was now a cloud before them.

  Greetings Offworlders, a soft voice whispered in both their heads. Images appeared as a question as to why they were in their city again, uninvited as well as unwanted. Another question came asking if they had they come to finally remove…the image that appeared in their minds was a ship with life forms lying in sleep pods.

  Goddess be blessed! We found his hidden cache of soldiers! Major Zohra let out a noisy sound of air as she realized their luck in finding it.

  The major sent out an image of herself and Alexandra looking over the ship and its crew and showing that they and others would remove the object that were, in their minds, trespassing.

  Gari, they don't want others…they will only let us through.

  JG nodded turning toward Alexandra. She received the same image in her mind.

  Alexandra formed in her mind a question to the life forms if it would be permitted for them to use their voice communication links. They both received an affirmative response.

  "Let's go see what's in this ship, Major."

  "Yeah," the major agreed starting up the path that cleared of life forms. "I was getting a headache with the mental stuff," she muttered to her lover.

  "Ah." Alexandra let JG take the lead. She rested a hand on h
er shoulder as she extended her senses to feel around where they were. A smile formed on her face as she touched a small creature's awareness that was living in the foliage that their eyes could not see as they passed. In this other dimension life existed all around them sending little jolts of energy through Alexandra as she connected with them.

  JG turned her head slightly to look at Alexandra and found her eyes vacant as if her thoughts were elsewhere. She returned her attention back to the trail, careful to pick a smooth path so that her distracted partner would not trip.

  The two were led to a vast cavern that had an opening to the surface. Both could see and hear the effects of a windstorm in progress on the planets surface.

  Alexandra felt the ship before they saw it.

  The major returned to gestures as she informed Alexandra they would circle the crater the ship was resting in and from different angles, to study it. Both women settled across from each other looking down on a lip that appeared to be over a latent volcanic bole. Apparently, the ship was using the energy from the volcano to keep the ship running, thus not using any of the ships systems that would put out an energy signature that could be scanned.

  Gari? Alexandra sent out a thought to her partner. When JG looked up, she motioned that she had spotted what appeared to be a way down to the lip.

  Cautiously both made their way to the opening between two rocks hoping they would not run into any traps. They were disappointed for there were T&Ts down the entire side. Both recognized the illegal and legal traps and trips that covered the entire side that would have given them easy access to the ship.

  An image appeared to Alexandra and she turned in surprise. One of the life forms was wavering near them. The image showed her another way to the ship….it involved just jumping off the edge of the crater.

  Alexander had to stifle a laugh. In her mind, she pictured two things that could happen to their more solid life forms if they jumped. One was that they would hurt themselves and the other of the noise that it would create when their bodies dropped on top of the ship.

  Alexandra thought she felt puzzlement from the light form. She returned her attention to her partner who was looking around for another way down that. Suddenly Alexandra felt herself lifted and as if on a wave of energy was carried over the rim and set next to the ship's outer hull. The major was quick to follow. Another laugh threatened to escape Alexandra as she found their newfound allies more than willing to…probably do anything, to get the foreign object out of their environment.

  JG's look of astonishment turned into a look of relief as she pulled on Alexandra's arm to again move in a circle and study the ship for a way in. Both met at their starting point. All the outer doors were tightly shut and had traps set to go off if anyone attempted to enter.

  On impulse, Alexandra put a question to the life form that was following her. Both women were shown a picture of a leakage in the structure that was dumping toxic waste in their environment. It was no wonder why they were angry about the ship being here.

  JG and Alexandra moved up a slight incline where they could get a view of the top hatch. Through their helmets, they could see a small leak of breathable air. Neither could see any traps around the area.

  JG pressed Alexandra's arm for her to step back from their perch, and then she leaped into the air landing with barely a sound on top of the ship's hull, with the assistance of their new assistants. Alexandra followed, quietly thanking the two shadows.

  The top hatch had not been locked properly and therefore did not take much for them to open it and enter. Major Zohra was about to seal the hatch area and release breathable air for them when Alexandra's hand held her from sealing it. There is one that is following us. It would like to be let in.

  JG pushed the latch up but a mere hands breath when a colorful swish of something slid in. Then she closed the lid tight and released breathable air for them but slowly to make sure the life form would not be affected.

  When the readings gave them, an all clear both removed their helmets for conversation.

  "Well?" Alexandra asked JG softly.

  "We look for the pods," JG returned just as softly.

  "Why not just put this thing on autopilot and let our ships topside do the rest?" Alexandra asked, not wanting to search a ship that could have many unfriendly traps. Alexandra saw the disappointment in her lover's eyes.

  "Hon, there's plenty of time for a challenging adventure, but not now," Alexandra consoled her partner.

  JG glanced at her and saw the amusement glittering in her green eyes.

  Helgas Moon, she thought surprised. I am disappointed. I think I've lived too long with the constant adrenaline rush as part of everyday life.

  The Black Rose would have, as a team, swept through the ship, regardless of the traps, just to take possession of a ship that belonged to the enemy. It was what they did and did well. However, Alexandra was right. They did not want to call attention to themselves, especially when they just left a bad situation in the Lair.

  "Right." Suddenly her face broke into a grin. "Promise?"

  "Promise what?" Alexandra asked as she followed JG's figure in another direction.

  "Promise about the adventure."

  Alexandra rolled her eyes. "Warriors…always out for a life and death thrill," she groaned softly.

  Alexandra quickly set the ship on auto and reenabled the beacon so the moment it went active it would send out its identifier.

  "Let's get out of here," Alexandra had a bad feeling. "Quickly."

  JG looked around for anything that was a threat, feeling the same.

  As the two raced back to where they had entered the ship an image of a guard bot, armed to the teeth, flashed in both their minds, compliments of the life form that was with them.

  JG had her helmet on and whispered a curse word that Alexandra picked up in her helmet. She altered course and ran down another corridor in the ship, grabbing the handrails and sliding down to another level. Alexandra was close behind. The back of her helmet gave her the picture of guard bots released from their wall storage slots as the ship began to power up.

  Alexandra remembered in the schematics of the freighter there was an emergency hatch for dumping unwanted cargo on each level. "Garbage," Alexandra muttered as she leaped over a small cleaning bot that was rolling around.

  JG's forward motion stopped and she turned to catch Alexandra who bumped into her. She pushed her back a few yards. There on the wall was a symbol for waste dumping.

  "Helgas Moon, we're on the save wave length," Alexandra muttered as she hit the release and as the motion of the ship indicated it was starting to raise, and JG who was behind her pushed her out first. They dropped onto the floor of the cavern as the ship moved to exit out of its hiding place. The life form that had attached itself to Alexandra's shoulder in the ship now hovered just above them, as if watching the detested ship leave its space.

  "Are you alright?" JG asked as she rolled to her feet and surveyed the area then back to Alexandra who watched the departing ship from her reclining side.

  "Yeah. Well…I guess we can get back to the Lair. By the time we do get back the excitement of this ship will have died down."

  "I think our appearance will just get them all up again." There was a smirk in Major Zohra's voice.

  "Gari, Hon, I have a feeling…you are going to be needing a close eye kept on you when you get bored."

  JG looked at her startled and then chuckled. She turned her attention back to the shadows that were around them.

  "We're going to have to figure out how to remove the explosives in the volcano."

  It took a lot of image exchanges between both women and the life forms to convince the natives that they lacked the equipment at the moment to safely remove some of the traps. There were some that Alexandra did not recognize and was hoping JG did. The agreement they came up with was that they would return to the Lair, get what they needed and return…alone.

  As the two were sitting in the car
heading back toward the Lair, Alexandra was watching JG's face as it fell back into the unreadable mask.

  "So…did you recognize all those traps?" She thought she would talk about something neutral.

  JG lifted her dark eyes towards her lover. "No."

  "Hm." Alexandra thought about this while she watched the face before her that was now looking happier that she had something to work on. "This is an adventure," she offered.

  "Yeeeya, it is at that," JG turned to look at her. "Am I being rationed on these or, do I get my pick?"

  "Hm. Well, you are a CO with some status. I guess some of them you can pick. However, I remember once hearing that everything is an experience and it's just how you approach it that turns it from a disaster to an adventure."