“Don’t be upset. I took precautions, I promise but I’m getting pretty tired of these energy bars. There are fish in the stream, if we had a net to catch them with. Or a spear.”
“I think I can march tonight, if you’re up for it. Or we can wait until tomorrow,” he said. “I’m going out there now, before the sun is all the way above the horizon, and take a proper bath. Get rid of the remaining venom residue.”
“Do you —do you need me to help? You’re not very steady on your feet.”
He found her blush enchanting, but then again maybe it was merely reflection on her cheeks from the sun streaming in the cave entrance. “I’ll be fine. I might pick up a stick to use as a cane.”
“I already found you one.” She jumped to her feet and retrieved a stout branch he just now noticed leaning on the boulder behind her. “Tripped over it while I scouted for berry bushes. I couldn’t figure out how to trim off the smaller twigs.”
Impressed, he turned the piece of wood over and examined it. “This will be perfect, thank you. I’ll only need it for a day or two. I heal fast.” He checked for his knife, intending to neaten up the walking stick, but the blade was missing from the belt sheath lying beside the mat.
“Oh, I forgot - here.” Gingerly, she handed the weapon over. “I used it when I got the berries. Remember, you gave me the knife to remove the second stinger? I hope you don’t mind me cutting through thorns and stickers with it.”
“You’re a good partner,” he said. “Resourceful. Mike might have to step aside. I like playing cards with you better too.”
She sat cross legged and bit into her energy bar. “’Didn’t you tell me the two of you go way back?”
“Kids together, yes. Our mothers are sisters. Mike lived on the big spread and my family owned the smaller one next door.”
“I don’t understand?”
“We’re both First Ship Families on Azrigone but you know the story – not all First Shippers were equal. Mike’s ancestors were captains and mission investors. Mine were crew, or so I’ve been told.” He finished checking the blaster and stowed the weapon in its holster. “Doesn’t matter to me. Hundreds of years ago. Probably better this way. Mike got a lot of scrutiny growing up, being one of the Varones and all. I covered for him more than once when we got into trouble because no one cared much what I did. Or expected anything different.”
“He let you take the blame?” Her voice was sharp and it pleased him to have her taking his side, although he couldn’t let any criticism of Mike stand.
“Kid stuff. Pranks, nothing serious.” Johnny shrugged. “Mike’s a standup guy, watches my six and I watch his. He bailed me out a few times too. Saved my ass more than once in the Teams. We’re like brothers, even did the blood brother routine when we were six. Thought our moms were going to kill us. Lotta messy bleeding.” He showed her the remodeled walking stick. “What do you think?”
“Classy. Much better than when I dug it out from under the bushes.”
“I like to whittle. I carve miniature animals in the downtime between missions.” He realized he hadn’t carved anything since he’d gotten back to Azrigone from the Mahjundar job. Maybe he’d carve a statue for Sara to remember him by, after this mission was over. For the first time ever he wondered if he had the skill to carve a human. Her face fascinated him, the way the emotions played over her features. He’d never tried working on a carving other than generic animals but the idea was intriguing. Leaning heavily on the stick, he rose to his feet and balanced for a moment. “I’ll go take my bath now.”
“The water is cold. Probably because it comes from the mountains? Snow melt?”
“I consider myself duly warned.” He took the blanket and limped from the cave. Yeah a cold bath might be just the thing about now.
Johnny eventually decided to rest one more night. On the following morning he woke before Sara and went for a walk, testing his leg, which felt pretty solid other than a bit of residual aching. When he returned to the cave, he sat on the mat and began unwinding the bandages. She yawned and came to join him, peering over his shoulder at the wounds.
“Less inflammation and swelling,” she said.
“I think we can walk today. Would you mind handing me the medkit? I need to dose the bites and the burn again and rebandage the site.”
She did as he requested. “I know I’m so impatient to get home but I don’t want to push you.”
“You won’t.” He hid a grin at the idea of anyone trying to force him to do something against his will. “But I think we’re closer to this hill town I used to know than I expected. Saw landmarks I recognize.”
Sara’s frown was monumental. She stood and paced. “A town?”
“I want to steal better shoes for you, remember?”
“Should we take the chance just to get me shoes?”
“Affirmative. We can make much better time and you won’t be at risk for a broken ankle or worse with every step you take,” he said. “I’m amazed those flimsy shoes have held together this long.”
She balanced on one leg to remove a shoe and show him the hole in the sole. “Happened yesterday, when I climbed up to the cave after getting the berries.”
“That settles it, we’re going for shoes. I don’t intend to carry you all the way to the hidden station up north if I can help it.” He was teasing her now but he was deadly serious about the risks she ran. And yes, he was a trained medic, but if she fell and suffered a serious injury, there might not be anything he could do about it, given the limited supplies he had and no backup on scene.
They packed their sparse belongings, leaving the cave clean, and hiked down the hillside shortly after breakfast. Although he’d been hiding it from her, the pressure of time bothered him. Whether the warlord or anyone else was searching for them, Johnny didn’t want to linger on Farduccir. The incident with the rock scorps served as a good reminder of the many potential disasters awaiting them. The Teams had a saying— “Two is one and one is none.” If only he had Mike or another operator on this trip. He glanced over his shoulder at Sara and decided he wasn’t doing her justice. Sure she was an untrained civilian, but she’d watched his six pretty efficiently during the venom incident.
Catching his eye, she smiled. “No need for a break yet. I’m doing fine. So how is it you’re so familiar with this village we’re heading for?” She walked a little faster and he slowed his pace so the two of them could march side by side as the small canyon widened.
“Mike and I were stationed there for a time, doing sorties, gathering…classified data.” He shot her a glance, hoping she wouldn’t be offended at his evasion.
“I get it, especially after some of the things you’ve said about the war with the Mawreg. You’ve got secrets to keep, right?”
“To the grave, yes, ma’am. I couldn’t even tell my wife. If I was married.” Now why had he said such a dumb thing? Since when did he think about marriage? Idiot. He rushed on with the story about the village. “So anyway, this village is small, maybe three clans. Friendlies. I hate the idea of stealing from them but we can’t leave any sign of our presence behind to be reported to Umarri, you know?”
She nodded. “How do the people survive in this wasteland?”
“By herding garbeeshi and saamil, like goats and sheep? But bigger, meaner. Good for meat, milk, cheese. The villagers use the hair from each species to spin wool and make clothing and rugs to sell in the bigger towns. Some subsistence farming. Not much grows here in the hills. Mike and I had a hut to ourselves, on the edge of the settlement, couple of the ladies kept it neat for us, cooked on occasion. We paid them a few credits a month. Not a bad assignment, as these things go.” He grinned. “Lots of kids, cute and smart. Fascinated by Mike and me, you know? Different from anyone they’d ever met.”
“You like kids?”
“Sure, who doesn’t? I taught them the rudiments of Basic before we had to bug out to another job.” He rubbed his jaw, picturing the tykes who used to be underfoot
all the time when he and Mike were between missions. “Been fifteen years or so— the ones I knew probably have kids of their own by now.”
“Life does go on,” she agreed. “Do you mind if I have a drink of water? My throat’s kind of dry and scratchy.”
He handed her the canteen, pondering her casual words. Life hadn’t ‘gone on’ for him, in terms of any changes or improvements. Just more sorties in an endless series of missions. Years gone he’d never get back yet he didn’t regret any of his choices. The work they did in the Teams was dangerous and hard but needed to be done to keep the Sectors safe. And he wasn’t the kind of guy to sit idle either. Action and challenge kept him a happy person. Too bad he hadn’t figured out yet what to do on Azrigone to fulfill those needs. Even the hunting expedition to the mountains hadn’t quelled his restlessness.
At least Mike had a chance at a normal life now, with Shalira being pregnant, and his days in the military over. “I’m gonna be an uncle,” he said when Sara handed the water to him. “Shalira’s pregnant. Mike’s wife. Command wanted him to do this mission and I volunteered instead. She needs him there and she don’t need to be worrying about him.”
“But if he’s on active duty, won’t he just be sent somewhere else?”
“We’re retired, both of us.”
Raising her eyebrows, she asked, “You came out of retirement for this?”
“Your friend Ms. Immer had her own friends in high places. A lot of gravity. They wanted Special Forces in on this rescue, an operator familiar with Farduccir, understood the place, spoke the language and knew the people. Here I am.”
“Lucky for me, I’d say. No one to worry about you being in danger?” she asked as she started walking again. “No girl waiting at home?”
“I’m pretty much a loner. Mike got all the social graces.”
“What about whoever gave you the gold medallion?”
Johnny thought he detected an edge in her voice but he couldn’t fathom why she’d care who gave him the necklace. He felt compelled to explain. “Early birthday present from Shalira before I left to deploy here. A good luck charm, you might say.”
Sara walked in silence for a moment. “She’s pretty special to you too, isn’t she?”
Even he recognized the warning signs blazing around the question. Choosing his words with care, he said, “Not like what you’re thinking. We’re friends. We three went through a lot together on her home planet. Shalira and Mike were goners for each other from the moment they met. Although things between them were in serious doubt for a long time. Complications.”
She raised her eyebrows. “More mission secrets?”
He was uncomfortable discussing his friends in too much detail, even if the likelihood of her meeting them was tiny. “Not my story to tell.” He assessed the terrain ahead. “We’re getting close to the village. Let’s find a safe spot for you to wait in concealment and I’ll scout ahead a bit.”
Sara huddled behind the boulder Johnny selected, hidden from view by a carefully arranged screen of brush he’d created. She held her blaster loosely on her lap and reminded herself they’d both checked for scorps or any other dangerous vermin before she settled in to wait while he scouted ahead. She pondered the tidbits she’d gleaned about him during the morning’s hike. Surprising an attractive, decent guy like him had no girlfriend or wife waiting at home. Johnny seriously underrated himself, saying his cousin got all the social graces. Although he tended to be pretty guarded, as far as what he shared. She supposed all the endless deployments in his military career had precluded forming any lasting relationship. She wasn’t seeing him under normal circumstances either. Feeling a blush nearly as fierce as yesterday’s, she took a deep breath and tried not to think about what Johnny looked like without clothing.
Pretty amazing, all those muscles and…other attributes.
Yeah time to distract herself from that mental picture.
Even if he— even if they— were mutually attracted to each other, Sara felt the signs of an anxiety attack creeping through her body, warring with the arousal. Trying to imagine herself in a man’s arms, after the abuse she’d suffered from the warlord’s thugs was a challenge.
But when Johnny held her, if she’d had a nightmare or was frightened, the embrace was so good, so safe, so… tempting.
Surprised at herself, Sara shook her head. I’m a mission to him, a hostage to return to safety, nothing more. And I’m so messed up right now, how can I even be thinking about being attracted to someone?
“Something’s not right,” Johnny said, standing in front of her.
Sara gave a little scream and shot to her feet. Laughing, Johnny reached out to point her blaster away from him. “You know you have the safety on?”
“I didn’t see you coming,” she said grumpily, stepping through the break he made in the brush barrier.
“If I’m doing my job correctly, you’re never will,” he said. Tilting his head, he raised one eyebrow. “Although you were so lost in thought you didn’t hear my bird whistle signal. Care to share what’s on your mind?”
“No!” She brushed dirt from her clothes. “What’s the situation in the village?”
He was immediately distracted, a serious expression settling over his features. “Completely deserted.”
“Could everyone be gone to market, or a festival or a ceremony?”
“Not the whole village.” He shook his head. “And the buildings are dilapidated. The Farducciri might be poor but the people have pride about the appearance of their homes and businesses.”
“Do we give it a pass then? Try to find shoes for me somewhere else, further north?”
Johnny frowned. “I have a bad feeling about this. I think I ought to investigate a bit but I don’t want to leave you behind. I watched the place through my viewers for a long time and there’s no one home, nothing moving, so I don’t think you’d be in any danger if you came with me. “
“Sure, I’d rather tag along than wait here anyway. But if you were acquainted with people years ago, that means if we did meet villagers, it’d be ok, wouldn’t it?”
“Maybe. I told you the Sectors pullout wasn’t pretty. And the village has clearly fallen on hard times since. You and I would be worth a lot, if an informant let the warlord know we were here.”
“I trust your assessment of the situation. I know you wouldn’t put me at risk unnecessarily. Let’s go.” Scared but pleased he wanted her at his side, Sara was determined to live up to his trust in her to handle whatever they walked into.
In the end they walked into the village via the well-trodden path. As Johnny had observed earlier, the place was deserted. Doors swung open in the wind and windows were broken. Several huts had collapsed. The fences that had presumably kept the livestock penned were broken in places and she saw no sign of the herds he’d described. Johnny left her behind a shed beside one house while he checked the small barn behind the dwelling and jogged back shaking his head. “Not good. Six skeletons. Whatever happened, no one took the time to release the animals sheltered in the barn.”
“So the poor beasts starved to death?” Horrified, she tried in vain to scrub the mental picture from her mind.
“Apparently. Predators cleaned the bones a long time ago by the condition of the remains.” He glanced at her as if afraid he’d provided too much stark information but Sara swallowed hard and nodded.
When they reached the square, he stopped on the edge and swore. She crowded behind him and tried to see the cause of his outburst.
“Serious firefight here,” he said. “See the impact marks? Local weapons fire. Maybe an energy weapon or two.” He pointed at various walls. “And dried blood. Stay here.”
His tone was so flat she didn’t dream of protesting. She retreated, stumbling a bit, and took shelter in a doorway, training her blaster on the square, trying to provide cover. He advanced at a deliberate pace, stopping to scrutinize the dirt road periodically and examining one of the pitted and burned walls for a
long moment. Weapon at the ready, he disappeared into a building and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from crying out in protest. As long as she could see him, she felt she handle anything, but the scene was eerie without another living being. Sara shivered. If ever a place had ghosts, this might be it.
He re-emerged from the building just when she gathered her courage to defy orders and go in after him. He stooped to retrieve something from the ground and came to where she waited. Taking her by the elbow, he drew her away from the square and retreated toward the edge of town. She bit her lip to hold all her questions in abeyance, afraid to know what he was going to tell her. When Johnny paused in the shade of one of the outermost houses, he handed her the object he held.
“A doll?” She flipped the crude, homemade plaything over, admiring the sewn on mouth and nose, with green beads for eyes. The seamstress had put a lot of love into this. “Johnny–”
“The way I read it, a good-sized, armed force came into town, rounded up all the people, loaded them into vehicles and took them away. There was resistance, obviously, from the indications we saw in the square, but futile. No wounded or dead left behind.” He touched the doll with a fingertip. “A whole pile of these next to the tracks, kids’ comfort lovies. I took this one because it reminds me of Chaela, one of the kids we knew, although of course she’d have been a mother herself now.”
She fought tears, imagining the awful scene. “Who would do a thing like this to harmless villagers? And why? Was it the warlord, you think?”
“Umarri might have been involved. These people weren’t of his clan.” He stared at the surrounding hills for a moment. “I found a partial track from a vehicle. I’ve seen the pattern before – it’s the tread of a Chimmer ground vehicle.”
She shook her head. “Chimmer?”
“Mawreg client race, high ranking. Way above the Shemdylann or even the Betangray in their hierarchy, as far as we’ve been able to figure out.”
“You think the Mawreg kidnapped these people?” Horrified, she pressed her back to the wall behind her and raised her weapon as if the dreaded enemy was about to spring.
Hostage To The Stars: A Sectors SF Romance Page 7