“Are we still losing power?” Buir says, voicing my own worst fear.
Ghil’s frown deepens. “We’re stable for now, but unless Velkan figures out what’s going on and gets us back up to speed, the power could fail completely.”
Another dreadful silence falls over us as we contemplate our predicament. Minutes earlier we were celebrating our victory at ditching Sarth on Diretus. Now I wonder if I did the right thing by dragging the others with me.
Static comes over the emergency comm again and I jerk upright in my seat.
“I think I’ve figured out the problem,” Velkan says. “A vent valve on the fuel line. I can do a temporary fix, but we’ll need to head for the nearest planet to make more extensive repairs.”
“Do what you can,” Ghil says. “As soon as my screens are back, I’ll calculate our closest possible landing.”
We don’t wait for long. The screens flicker back to life simultaneously and a low humming fills the control room, the reassuring sound of full power surging through the ship again.
Buir gives an audible sigh of relief.
Ghil wastes no time reorienting the Zebulux and adjusting our orbital vector to set us on the fastest course to the next habitable planet on the charts.
“What’s it called?” I ask, staring at the planet looming larger on the viewer.
“Seinought,” Ghil says through clenched teeth.
There’s a note of resignation in his voice, and I’m almost afraid to ask why. But I’m more afraid of being surprised by what awaits us.
“You don’t sound thrilled,” I say. “Is it dangerous there?”
“No more so than any other trading planet.” He scrubs a hand over the stubble on his chin. “It’s just that I have some history there.”
“What kind of history?” Buir asks.
“Not the good kind,” he acknowledges with a wry grin. “I’m wanted for instigating a brawl with some traders that ended badly.”
“You didn’t kill anybody, did you?” I ask.
He hefts a brow. “Came close. He asked for it, though. He took a serf’s eye out for dropping some cargo he hired him to unload.”
I shudder. I can certainly see why Ghil was incensed enough to start a fight. “So, you think they’ll remember you?”
“I reckon. It made Seinought news.”
“You’ll just have to stay hidden on board for as long as it takes to repair the ship,” I say.
Ghil gives a tight nod. He leans over the controls and sets the A.I. system to guide the Zebulux in for a landing. “You got this from here. I’ll be in engineering if you need me. Velkan could use my help with that vent valve.”
He disappears through the door and I turn my attention to the looming planet. My breathing turns ragged as I watch our erratic descent.
“What’s wrong?” Buir peers anxiously around at the flickering screens.
“The A.I. still isn’t functioning properly after the power outage,” I reply, adjusting a couple of switches. “I need to be prepared to take over if things go awry.” Seconds later, the thrusters sputter and an alarm blares on the console. My stomach twists as the Zebulux lurches off course. I flick the systems back to manual and grab a hold of the controller.
“Hang on! We’re doing this the hard way.”
“Are we still on target to dock?” Buir asks, clutching her armrests.
“Not by a long shot.” I grimace. “We’ll be lucky if we land anywhere on Seinought unless I can get us maneuvered into a decent trajectory.” I glance at the scanner and do some quick calculations. We’re veering way off course, but it’s too risky to take the extra time to recalibrate the coordinates for the docking station with the thruster as unstable as it is. I lock into our new course and steel myself for whatever lies ahead.
“Should I get Ghil back up here?” Buir says.
“Nothing he can do to help us now,” I say through gritted teeth.
Buir frowns at the console. “We missed the docking station.”
“I know, I’m locked in for a landing on the other side of the planet.”
The intercom snaps back to life and Ghil’s voice comes through. “What’s going on?”
“The A.I. shut down,” I respond. “We veered off course, but we’re locked in for a landing.”
“Hold the course,” Ghil says. “I’ll do what I can on my end.”
We fall silent as the surface looms closer on the viewer. Holding my breath, I prepare for landing and wait to see what lies in store for us on the ground.
“It doesn’t look inhabited.” Buir’s voice rises in panic. “We’re heading for some kind of desert.”
“It’s the best I can do.” I eye the flickering lights on the dash.
“Tighten your harness. It could be a rough landing.” I wipe the sweat from my brow and focus on the screens in front of me, carefully going over all Sarth’s instructions in my head.
Thankfully, the power doesn’t cut out again and the Zebulux remains maneuverable for a relatively smooth landing on a powdery landscape of dust and rock. I kill the engine and sink back in my seat, panting with relief.
Buir unbuckles her harness and gets to her feet. “You’re drenched with sweat,” she says, running a practiced eye over me.
“I had no idea until just now how stressful that would be.” I get to my feet and let out a long breath. “My first solo landing, and I averted a crash.”
“You did great getting us down safely.” Buir peers through the windscreen. “Now we just need to figure out how to get to civilization.”
“We may not have to if Velkan can repair the valve causing all these problems.” I wipe my forehead with the sleeve of my shamskin. “If he needs parts, we’ll take the LunaTrekker and find the nearest settlement.”
A moment later, Ghil appears at the door, his face taut. “Where are we?”
“I don’t know, but it looks bleak.” I gesture through the windscreen to the desolate landscape outside.
“What are our coordinates?” he asks.
“The celestial reference coordinates are putting us about three thousand miles due south of the docking station. We can take the LunaTrekker and look for a settlement if Velkan can’t fix the ship.”
Ghil frowns. “Fuel’s going to be an issue if we have to travel any distance. We’ll need to drain the fuel from the second LunaTrekker and take an extra can along.”
“Let’s see what Velkan has to say.” I lean over and flick on the intercom. “Velkan, what’s the report from engineering?”
“Looks like the main oxidizer valve is bad too,” he says. “We’re going to need a new one to make it all the way to Aristozonex.”
Ghil cracks his knuckles. “I can take the LunaTrekker and try and find a settlement, but if I’m picked up, you’ll all be arrested for harboring a fugitive.”
“Buir and I will go,” I say. “We might be able to get to a settlement and back in one day.”
Ghil fingers the dagger at his waist. “The other unknown is what’s out there.” He gestures through the windscreen. “It’s one thing refueling at a docking station, another thing entirely when you go beyond the station perimeter on any of these planets.”
I hesitate for a moment as an unwelcome image of the face-eating monkeys comes to mind. “Doesn’t look like there’s much of anything out there,” I say, peering through the windscreen.
“You’ll have to wait until morning,” Ghil says in a resigned tone. “You can’t risk encountering whatever wildlife might be lurking around at night.”
“All right,” I say, reluctantly. “We’ll leave as soon as it’s light. Right now, we need food.”
“Monkey bars coming right up!” Buir says in passing.
I shudder and swat at her as I follow her out of the control room.
Down in the galley, Buir doesn’t take long to prepare a tray of hard scones filled with a delicious cheese.
“These are unbelievably good.” I pop the last piece of my third scone in my mouth
with a contented sigh.
Ghil rubs his belly, a hazy satisfaction in his eyes. “For these, I could share my galley.”
Buir leans toward him with a mischievous look in her eye. “I’ll divulge more of my recipe secrets if you teach me some knife handling skills.”
Ghil raises a tentative brow. “That’s a tall order. I didn’t learn those skills overnight.”
Buir smirks. “Trust me, it’ll take you equally as long to turn that mush around!”
Ghil throws back his head and laughs. “You got yourself a deal.”
The door to the dining room opens and a grease-stained and sweaty Velkan and Meldus traipse in. My heart pitter-patters a little faster when Velkan slides into the seat beside me. Even with the reek of fuel between us, I can still remember the sweetness of his lips.
“So we can’t repair that valve?” Ghil asks, straightening up in his chair.
Velkan casts a hungry eye over the remaining scones on the platter Buir pushes his way before answering. “It’s shot. We’re not going anywhere until we replace it.”
Ghil gives an exasperated sigh. “You and I can’t go looking for a settlement. We’re going to have to send the newbies.”
Velkan gives a concerned nod. “We’ll load the guns in the bed of the LunaTrekker, just in case.”
“Of what?” Buir asks. “It’s a civilized Syndicate planet, isn’t it? We should be safe here.”
Ghil gets to his feet. “If you call maiming your serf for dropping a package civilized.”
Buir bites her lip.
“We’ll get in and out as quickly and quietly as possible,” I say, breaking the uncomfortable silence that follows Ghil’s words. “For now, let’s rest. It’s been a long night.”
Ghil nods. “You and Buir can take Sarth’s quarters—more comfortable.” He snatches up the last scone, winks at Buir and disappears out of the room.
Buir and I kick off our boots and curl up on Sarth’s bed under our shamskins, too exhausted to be bothered undressing. Buir mumbles something to me, but one or the other of us drifts off mid-sentence because everything after that is lost in a black haze.
I wake the next morning and stretch my limbs out lazily. I haven’t felt this refreshed in a long time. Buir stirs and sits up next to me, rubbing her eyes sleepily. “Is it morning?”
“It’s light out. Time we got moving.”
She yawns, flings her legs over the side of the bed and plods over to the viewport.
“You can check the view out all you want from the LunaTrekker,” I say pulling on my boots. “We need to get going.”
She turns around to face me, her eyes bulging. “Doesn’t look like we’re going anywhere.”
18
I race over the viewport and peer through it. A group of painted tribespeople, forty or fifty strong, riding on long-legged hairless creatures with large heads, flared nostrils and burning yellow eyes surround the ship. A rod of fear shoots up my spine and momentarily paralyzes me. Armed with crossbows, and daubed with ochre markings on their foreheads and upper arms, the tribespeople stare fixedly at the ship as if waiting on someone to emerge.
“Come on,” I say, grabbing Buir by the hand. “We need to wake the others.”
Huddled around the viewport in the dining room, we stare out at the intimidating tribe, their naked mounts snorting and pawing the dust.
“You were right about the wildlife, Ghil,” Buir says glumly. “They look dangerous.”
“Solarbald ponies,” Ghil replies. “They roam wild on some of the more remote planets. Don’t worry, they have a vicious kick, but they won’t eat you.”
“Can’t vouch for the tribespeople,” Velkan says, grimly.
Buir shrinks back from the viewport.
“We can’t stay in here forever,” I say. “We need to figure something out.”
“We can’t shoot our way out—there are too many of them,” Ghil says.
“We may not have to shoot them,” I say. “We don’t know what they want … yet.”
“They don’t look too friendly,” Buir says dubiously. “And neither do those ponies.”
“But they’re keeping their distance,” Meldus says. “I think we should wait it out. They may be passing through on their way somewhere, and stopped out of curiosity—just to look.”
“I’m with Meldus,” Velkan says. “I say we give it a day and hope they disappear. But we should use the time to come up with some kind of plan in case they’re still here tomorrow.”
“I hate to be the one to point this out,” Buir says. “But if they’re a good representation of the inhabitants on Seinought, it’s not likely we’ll find the part we need unless we go all the way to the docking station.”
Ghil scratches his jaw. “Buir’s right. We need to figure out how to patch up that valve.”
Velkan shakes his head. “I nursed it all I could to get us here, but there’s nothing more I can do.”
“There’s always something more,” Ghil says. “We’ll build a part if we have to. First, let’s take inventory on our weapons. I know the code to the gun safe.”
To my relief, Sarth’s gun safe turns out to be surprisingly well-stocked. We have plenty of options to arm ourselves with, and then some, but it still leaves us hopelessly outnumbered. If we try shooting our way out, the tribespeople will fill us with arrows from their crossbows in seconds.
“Let’s go down to engineering and put our heads together,” Ghil says. “Maybe between us we can figure out how to jury-rig that valve.”
Velkan looks skeptical. “I’m open to suggestions,” he says with a shrug. “But I already tried everything I could think of.”
We spend the remainder of the day modifying several different spare parts and trying to fashion something that could tide us over and temporarily replace the main oxidizer valve. Instead of making any progress, Velkan makes another disheartening discovery—the valve that failed caused the heat exchanger to malfunction, which in turn damaged the turbo pump.
“We’re screwed,” Velkan says, tossing his wrench aside. “This ship’s a disaster. We don’t have any replacement parts, and a pump’s not something we can build or modify.”
“We’ll just have to wait until the tribespeople disperse,” Meldus says, wiping a greasy hand down his shirt.
“Our water supply’s not going to last more than a few days. The longer we wait, the more likely it is we’ll die of thirst before we find a settlement,” Ghil says.
“Maybe our best option is to try and befriend them,” I say.
“Too risky. Gives them all the control if we walk out there.” Ghil frowns and folds his arms over his chest. “We could build a protective cover for the LunaTrekker and drive out through them.”
“That’s risky too,” I say. “If those wild ponies panic, they could flip the vehicle and trample us to death.”
“I like the idea of having an armored vehicle to flee in,” Meldus says. “At least it gives us a fighting chance.”
“And I like the idea of trying to reach out to them first,” I say.
“All right,” Ghil says. “If they’re still here tomorrow, we’ll initiate contact. In the meantime, let’s start modifying the LunaTrekker in case we do need to make a run for it.”
In the cargo bay, Velkan takes charge of welding the panels and roof for the LunaTrekker that will act as a shield against any arrows. Meldus and Ghil set about draining the second LunaTrekker of fuel while Buir and I practice drawing our guns and aiming. My hand itches to grip my familiar spear, but it would be inadequate for what we’re facing. I just hope I can pull the trigger if the situation calls for it. Every time I take aim at something in the cargo bay, I hear the blast of Sarth’s gun and see Nipper’s lifeless body. As frightening an impression as the tribespeople make, I cringe at the thought of killing them. But I’m torn—I must do whatever it takes to get out of here and back to Cwelt before it’s too late to save my own people.
Buir quickly tires of practicing with the g
uns and heads off to prepare some food rations to bring with us. If we do escape, it could be days before we reach a settlement.
I wander over to the LunaTrekker to inspect what Velkan has built so far.
“Jump in,” he says, gesturing for me to climb through the open door. He clambers in after me and grins. “What do you think?”
“It’s solid. Nothing’s going to penetrate it.”
“I left just enough of a slit at the front to see through, or shoot through,” Velkan says. “Makes it dark in here … and private.”
I turn to him and he leans toward me, his lips sealing with mine. For what feels like an eternity, I lose myself in his kiss, forgetting everything around us, and against us. When we break apart, he crushes me to his chest. “Trattora, if we don’t make it out of here, I want you to know—” His voice cracks and he clears his throat. “I treasure every conversation we share.” He twirls a lock of my hair in his finger. “You’re a chieftain’s daughter and I’m only a serf, but—”
I put a finger to his lips. “Don’t talk like that.” I pull out the chain around my neck, place the tiny bracelet in his hand and close his fingers over it. “Whatever other significance this bracelet has, it proves we were equally loved. I am no different from you, other than that my lot in life was easier. I have no royal blood in my veins, and you don’t have the blood of a serf in yours. We are simply two people, Velkan. Two people with one destiny, I hope.”
He smiles gently at me and slips the bracelet back into my hand. “You’re a dreamer, Girl of Fire.”
“Anything is possible.” I reach up and kiss his forehead gently. “Now let’s show the others our new armored escape vehicle.”
At dusk, the tribespeople are still here, and they appear to be settling in for the night. Several campfires flicker malevolently against a backdrop of craggy rocks, and a perimeter guard circles the encampment.
“I wonder if they’re guarding against us surprising them during the night, or guarding against whatever else is out there,” I say.
Girl of Fire: The Expulsion Project Book One (A Science Fiction Dystopian Thriller) Page 14