At night she started having dreams so vivid that they became a part of her world. She dreamt of conversations with Roger, and she even had frightening dreams of Alfa being discovered by the marauders, which was her single greatest fear. But more significantly, she occasionally had premonitory dreams that seemed to be tailored to her survival. She dreamt of creatures, like small ground dwellers reminiscent of weasels but with six legs and no tails, that she would then see the next day and catch for food. In these cases it was only when she had seen them that she would recollect the dream, which made the experience even more mystifying. So over a period of days, almost imperceptibly, she had sunk into another mental world to match the physical world she now inhabited. Elvene was aware that her survival was not only dependent on avoiding the marauders as long as possible, but in adapting to this alien world. She knew that cooking the meat she killed was the biggest danger in exposing her, so she would microwave it by adjusting her laser-knife. It was the only technological aid she allowed herself to use along with her diagnostic wand.
With the forest for cover, and her exoskin armour, she was effectively invisible to an orbiting marauder, but eventually she would lose that cover and then the game would change against her. But she knew that she could attract them quicker by simply lighting a fire or even instantly by sending a radio signal of any transmission.
After they lost Alfa under the ocean, the six marauders changed their strategy and divided themselves into two teams of three. One from each team left the atmosphere and went into orbit as satellites, but the remaining four became two pairs, each pair subordinate to one of the satellites. They had a better chance of sensing something from orbit, and they worked in tandem on opposite sides of the planet: one of the team in orbit and the other two at surface level to investigate anything that appeared suspicious.
Elvene was even unsure how many were involved in the search, but she knew that at least one would be in orbit, and it could pass over her at any time of day. She knew that she hadn’t been detected so far, only because she was still alive. A simple missile strike would be enough to kill her, but first they had to find the needle in the haystack. Her armour kept her invisible to infrared sensors, and even radar would have trouble finding her, which were the two main methods that the marauders would use. Marauders were effectively blind to visible light, instead they relied on bat-like sonar, infrared detectors and radar as their prime sensors, but they could also pick up radio frequencies and radioactive radiation. Their prime weapons against humans at close range were laser guns and high frequency sonar which resulted in a painful death. One of the purposes of Elvene’s suit was to protect her from their sonar while allowing her to have normal hearing. In atmosphere, their laser guns would not be so effective; besides, she had a rudimentary force shield against laser, the same as they did. Elvene’s preference was to engage them in close combat, even though she would most likely lose the encounter; her only defence against a missile attack would be to go underground.
Elvene was not totally fatalistic, but she didn’t expect to survive. Her main hope was that Alfa would survive to return to base with the knowledge that she was dead, and that her sacrifice would allow the Kiri to live in peace. She knew that while she was alive the marauders would continue to patrol the planet. The only other hope was that she could destroy them before they destroyed her. This was a forlorn hope but one she did not relinquish. If she could meet them one by one, then there was a bare chance she could win. She saw it as a deadly game with the odds firmly in their favour. It was exactly the same perception that the marauders had, using the cold hard logic of probabilities and game theory to predict their success.
Myka knew that he couldn’t just depend on the sea to provide all his food for him, so he stocked up with grains and nuts and long lasting fruits that were harvested on the island. These were kept in earthenware jars, as well as jars of water. But he also expected that he could capture rainwater with his sail, although he couldn’t hazard how successful that would be.
After many days of preparation, including some night sailing trips with Sendra in order to demonstrate how he could navigate by the stars, they finally set out early one morning from within the cove.
It was a departure of mixed emotions and it seemed to Myka that the whole clan was there to see them off, not just his family and Elders, but families with their children that seemed to cover the whole beach in front of him. Just to see all these people had an emotional impact that he had not foreseen. He felt that all the hopes of his tribe were suddenly on his shoulders and invested in his abilities. It was, for him, both sobering and humbling. There was a brief ceremony performed by the Elders, calling on the spirits to both guide and safeguard their voyage, whilst they sprinkled ash on all parts of the craft. At the last moment Myka’s mother gave him a lock of her hair pressed between two pieces of mica held together by the natural glue he had once shown Elvene. Lenya had drilled a hole through one end so that he could tie it around his neck as an amulet. Myka said nothing but it felt to him like a burden as well as a rich privilege to wear it. The look in his mother’s eyes, fluctuating between anguish and pride summed up all the contradictory emotions he felt. When he and Sendra finally cast off in to the bay, the primary sensation was one of relief.
The people remained on the shore until they were out of sight. No doubt they could still see the sail of his vessel, and it was only when he had crossed the bar that Myka felt that he’d truly left his home. He and Sendra hardly spoke for the whole morning. Gradually they watched all the eastern islands of the archipelago slip past them. Their adventure had finally begun.
Twelve days had passed since Elvene had left Alfa, almost two weeks by the old Earth calendar, albeit that the days on this planet were slightly longer. So far she had remained invisible to the marauders, which she knew would be patrolling from the very heavens themselves where she would not be able to detect them. A cat and mouse game where she was the mouse and the cats hunted in packs. Elvene realised that as long as she remained in this forest, which seemed endless, the game could continue indefinitely, but indefinitely was a timeframe that suited the marauders and not herself. Twenty days was the limit she had given Alfa, but it was really a time limit she had set herself. Either she died in that time or she escaped. She now began to wonder at the wisdom of that decision. Nevertheless she reconciled herself to the idea that it was probably a virtue that she couldn’t change it without alerting the marauders to her presence. Elvene had always possessed the ability to convince herself that what can’t be changed must therefore be a virtue and not a liability, even when all evidence suggested otherwise. She knew that such enforced optimism was a key to psychological survival, which was a requirement, though by no means a guarantee, for physical survival. Little did she know how much her psychological survival would be tested.
She considered herself very lucky that she had encountered no large predators after her first night. Perhaps the ones she had seen were nocturnal, as they had appeared after sunset. Her main concern in meeting anything so formidable was that if she was forced to use her stun guns, it would be the sort of signature that an orbiting marauder would be looking for. Besides she could ill-afford the sort of injury that she had incurred from the night render. Immobility of that sort could only end in death, with or without the intervention of marauders.
She realised that over a period of days the land was gradually increasing in altitude, although it was barely perceptible in her daily trekking. She climbed a tree to see beyond the forest, and to her west she could see a snow-covered mountain range that she remembered from the map Alfa had produced for her. The planet had a weak magnetic field which allowed her to orientate herself independently of the sky. This was just as well as the sun was often hidden by dense foliage. She was unsure why she was heading for the mountain range except that it was inland. For some reason it seemed to attract her, possibly because it was a landmark but also because she felt she could not remain in the forest indefin
itely. It rained almost daily and from her point of view this was a bonus, as it allowed her to wash in a fashion and was also a source of fresh water. Overall, she felt she had adjusted to this strange way of existing much better than she had a right to expect. Providing she could find food and sleep on a daily basis she felt no cause for distress.
There was always the concern for her that killing small game would attract other predators or scavengers but this had not happened to date. She tended to butcher the carcass on the spot then leave the remains. She thought that this was the best approach and so far it had paid off, but on her fourteenth day, her luck turned against her. In hindsight she realised that on this occasion, the scavenger, having found her fresh kill, must have also picked up her scent and decided she was the bigger game.
There were no real trails in the forest but it was relatively free of undergrowth due to the lack of light penetrating the canopy above. In places, where there was undergrowth, she avoided it; she was always conscious of the need to have as clear a field of vision as possible. It had never occurred to her that she could be stalked without her knowledge, at least not on ground level. The animals she had seen on her first night were quite large, but they had made little noise until they were almost directly beneath her. One on its own, however, could move with considerable stealth and its dirt-coloured coat provided exemplary camouflage under the shaded light of the forest floor. Whilst they had the appearance of a large boar with their tusks and heavy shoulders, they were more like the large cats of Old Earth in their manner of hunting and moving. Elvene, of course, was yet to learn all this.
The predator shadowed her for quite some time, with a patience born of experience, knowing that the right opportunity would create itself. He was a fully-grown male that had left his pack to forage on his own because that’s how opportunities were often made, although he was conscious not to wander too far. If in time the right opportunity didn’t present itself, he would return to his pride, who were sleeping in a patch of rare undergrowth. As soon as he made his kill however, he would call them and they would join him in the feast.
His prey was unlike anything he’d seen, with its shiny black skin, but he could smell its body odour quite clearly and he knew instinctively that it would contain ample flesh beneath its skin. Even though it stood taller than himself in its upright position, he knew he was heavier if not faster.
Capable of short bursts of speed, success lay in complete surprise, and once he had his prey on the ground, death would follow quickly. His prey rarely ever looked in his direction, and even if it did, his still shape was indiscernible amongst the trees; he had played this game many times before and he always won.
Then the opportunity finally arose. His prey had knelt on the ground with its back to him to examine its own kill. His powerful shoulders and haunches bunched then exploded in a sprint that lasted only seconds, and even though for the first time his footfalls were audible, it was too late for the prey to react. It was all over in a couple of heartbeats.
What saved Elvene was her armour and the fact that she had been examining her kill. She heard a sound directly behind her and turned with one knee on the ground. What she saw were the two tusks launched directly at her. Her one instinctive movement probably saved her life, and that was to lower her head and become a ball. She felt the impact of a tusk in her rib cage but it was deflected by her armour, skimming across her back and collecting her rappelling gun as it went. She happened to have her laser-knife in her hand, as she had been cutting up her kill. The animal’s momentum carried it over the top of her, and she was thrown on to her back by the impetus of its charge. She instinctively raised the laser and gutted the beast from its stomach to its genitals.
There was a roar like a demented bestial sound from hell, and it limped away from her with its entrails dragging in the dirt. It still had her rappelling gun hanging by its strap from one of the tusks. She had to retrieve it.
Later, when she had time to reflect on events, she would remember how she was absolutely driven to retrieve the rappelling gun as quickly as possible, even though the animal could not really escape and was obviously going to die. It was just that she was possessed by an irrational and inexplicable urgency that bordered on panic.
She approached the animal, which instinctively turned towards her, its tusks still dangerous, and from its mouth came a baleful roar. Elvene dared not use her stun guns despite the temptation, and she still had her laser-knife in her hand. Of course, she had no idea that a whole pack of these carnivores were now heading towards her at a gallop. She was totally focused on the creature in front of her, and despite its fatal wounds it was still very dangerous. A low level stun could knock it out, but still she dared not risk it. Then she remembered that she had another knife, an old-fashioned one with a ceramic blade in the sheath of her boot. So she drew it out and threw it at the animal’s throat. The creature went down; she rushed it and finished it off with the laser. She withdrew her knife and recovered the rappelling gun, and that was when she heard the rest of them.
She would never forget the noise of them, like a rustling, scampering sound on the forest floor, though she could not yet see them. It was almost like the wind before a coming storm and then they appeared as flashes of ivory and grey-brown between the nearest trees, and she had seconds to react.
Now she knew why she needed the rappelling gun, and without hesitation she pointed it almost straight up and shot a line into the closest overhanging branch. She had its strap under her arms and around her back; she released a second trigger and it pulled her almost straight up just as the first of the pack reached her. One of them made an incredible leap at her, which belied its size, but the slight angle of her rappelling line and her own momentum just managed to carry her out of its reach. By the time another one attempted, she was almost on the branch. She wondered if they could climb trees but they made no attempt, just bayed like giant dogs at its base. She then fired crossbow bolts into them. One was hit in the throat, another had a bolt go straight down its gullet, and a third was hit in the neck just behind its ear. The rest of them knew when to quit.
Elvene suddenly felt incredibly drained as her adrenalin level came down, which she knew from experience could lead to a sense of melancholy. She knew she’d had a lucky escape, and wondered fleetingly if it was any worse to be killed by some carnivore than her most potent enemy, the marauders. She looked at the carnage below her and knew it was best not to stick around. She lowered herself from the tree and continued on foot, but now she had a renewed sense of caution. She realised she had become complacent and that the planet had many traps for animals like her: tired, alone and without support.
11. Journey into Darkness
MYKA’S AND SENDRA’S PROGRESS WAS SIMPLY A TALLY OF THE DAYS they spent at sea. Myka had no map except the one in his head. In his mind the star lines stayed constant and it was the sea that travelled under him, pulling his destination towards him. He only had to maintain the right direction and he would find it. It was not only the sky but the motion of his vessel that allowed him to do this. His planet moved about the sun but it did not move relative to the stars. As long as he travelled east or west, only the time of day where the stars rose and set changed but not their positions on the horizon, so he was aware that they moved from night into day as new ones appeared but their orientation to his course did not change. That happened when he travelled north and south and then new stars would appear while others disappeared. So it was at nighttime, under a clear sky, that his navigation was most secure. At dawn, he took the sun’s bearings from the last stars in the sky, then allowed the shadow cast by the mast to orient him as it shortened, then lengthened in its semicircle circuit that traced the passing of the day.
Elvene had taught him much of this, but she had also told him that her ancient ancestors had performed the same feats on another planet when they had no more abilities than he had. It was this reassurance, combined with youthful bravado, that gave him the confidenc
e that he could achieve his goal.
He and Sendra spoke rarely, but as the days wore on they became more accustomed to each other’s thoughts, so words didn’t seem so necessary. They both fished, though they were careful to avoid anything very large. On occasion they saw fish the size of the kingfish that Myka had caught the day Roger had arrived, but they did nothing to antagonise them. They were both aware that some of the fish in these waters could capsize their craft and therefore they gave them due respect. They also noticed that some of the fish were unfamiliar, and these were avoided as well, as they were unsure if they were edible – even in their home waters, some fish were poisonous to eat.
Clouds also came and went and these were often a mixed blessing, as sometimes they brought rain and other times they merely blocked the sky. Myka’s greatest concern was being hit by a storm, because they could be blown off course and then his newly-acquired skills would be severely tested.
At night Sendra would usually sleep while Myka preferred to spend the whole night awake and go to sleep at dawn. Before retiring, he would usually discuss the weather with Sendra, otherwise leaving him to navigate using the mast’s shadow as a guide. This had become their routine, with the proviso that he expected Sendra to wake him if the wind changed, though he would wake up anyway as it affected the movement of their craft.
When night fell and the stars took over, Myka felt most at peace, especially if there were few clouds or none at all. Sometimes he’d see something phosphorescent in the water below him that looked like underwater stars only they were in motion. When he first pointed them out to Sendra, his companion asked the obvious question. ‘What are they?’
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