by Scott Rhine
Toby needed help to escape from his cell. People came to Yvette to unburden themselves. He was never allowed to listen in, but when he saw Oleander crying, he sensed she was carrying Johnny’s child. When Oleander came to drop off samples that afternoon, Toby said, “Give me your keys and password.”
“Screw you. Why would I do that?” the head scout asked.
“Medical conditions affecting work detail have to be reported to Rachael,” he hinted.
Oleander handed over both and said, “I never want to see you again, you evil bastard.”
He used the keys to access the cabinet with the original sneak suit. “Everybody hates me, but sooner or later, everybody needs me,” Toby said, slipping out of his clothes and into his wetsuit. “When you want a healthy baby, you’ll come begging.”
Oleander averted her eyes and seethed with anger. After he pulled on the bottoms to his shimmer armor, she grabbed the back of his suspenders and muttered, “If I didn’t like Yvette so much, I’d toss your sorry ass off the mesa.”
“I put the first two months prenatal vitamins and treatment in your locker in case I don’t make it.”
She let go in surprise. “You don’t get to be nice.”
“I also left a codicil to my will, leaving the child my allotment as an heir,” he said, donning the mail shirt.
Oleander stared at him in disgust. “This child isn’t yours. I’d never let you touch me.”
“I know that. Yvette also knows that but would want me to assist you. The others might be convinced by the implication. You can claim rape, and they’ll all nod sympathetically.”
“No.”
“You prefer the alternative? How do you get exiled from Hell? You’ve seen how many shit jobs Rachael assigned your main squeeze when she suspected infidelity. What do you think she’ll do to you with proof? I’m afraid for the child’s safety.”
Narrowing her eyes, she said, “But you just threatened to expose me.”
“No, I cited regulations. You supplied the rest. I would never endanger one of Yvette’s friends and the person who guards my back.”
“Then why?”
Toby cocked his head. Sometimes she can be so blonde. He tried to remain polite. “The current chaos is the ideal time for us to find out what is really happening at Meteoropolis and Crown Island. If anyone else suggested this mission, Rachael would agree but send you. The embryo would not survive.”
“So you’re blackmailing me as a twisted favor?” Oleander asked incredulously.
“I’m giving you plausible deniability. If I find something, which I will, none of this is going to matter.” Toby pocketed his last obsidian listening device just in case he found someone interesting in Meteoropolis.
“It’s sundown now. I’ll find everyone’s whereabouts Out-of-body and signal you when it’s safe to descend,” the tall woman offered. “I’ll tell Yvette not to leave your bedroom till lunch. That might buy you some more time.”
“Thank you.”
****
For the first leg of the journey, Toby took the aqua sled. The forty or so rebels camped around the cave of secrets knew better than to get too close to the river, so there were no witnesses. The heavy transport rover would be waiting for him on the north cliff tomorrow. For the sake of Yvette, he faced his fear of drowning once more. This would be his last mission. After this insubordination, Herk would literally chain him to a desk as punishment. Toby kept his radio turned off so no one could intercept him or order him back to base.
Unlike Yvette, he was able to circumvent the waterfall by dragging the sled along the portage path under cover of night. When his panda alert went off, he shoved the bulky device off the steep embankment as a distraction. He didn’t worry about the vehicle because it would anchor itself and await his return. He crouched on the rocky slopes, waiting for the encounter.
Two alert pandas armed with spears crept along the path, searching for the cause of the disturbance. What are they doing out this late? They wore black, linen shoulder straps on their packs. Is that the equivalent of a uniform? The clothing and spearheads resembled the soldier he’d killed on Crown Island, which made them members of the dominant Bloo tribe. These males were a little smaller than normal, about four Earth years old, the developmental equivalent of thirteen-year-old human children.
All night he coasted with the river, not daring to use the motors because he kept encountering large groups of armed males on each sides of the river. Most of them were barely out of cubhood. He had been expecting a surge in the Green tribe population from all the extra food produced by fertilization and crop-rotation technology, but the Bloos had taken the surplus. The crew from Elysium had inadvertently swelled the ranks of the slaver armies. Oops. The soldiers hugged the canopy of the jungle the way modern troops would have used to hide from satellite surveillance. Only a few years more mature, the leaders of each group of ten had new weapons, hardwood staffs banded together with copper hoops. Are they determined to wipe out the rebel brain trust, or do they want revenge against the gods for the tidal wave?
He recorded everything but didn’t risk a transmission. That’s when he encountered the barge. Dozens of burly pandas on both sides of the river were pulling a large boat upstream while overseers beat a rhythm on a drum. On the top of the barge’s main cabin sat the black Magi throne.
Toby crouched in a tide pool on the north bank, not moving as he recorded every detail. Behind the barge were scores of armed pandas and two similar royal barges. It occurred to him that this was beyond a war party—this was a genocide mission only seventy kilometers from his home. The rebel school didn’t stand a chance. Did we help this civilization or doom the only hope it had?
By now, the lead slaves were almost close enough to touch. The deciding factor in his risking a transmission was the rack Toby could now see below the throne. It had six slots, but only one was occupied with a white, ceramic rifle. The muzzle was three centimeters across, and a large gemstone was embedded in the stock. A mahdra power supply? Six slots—one for each arm in the control saucer. With that many alien weapons, a tribe could rule the world.
The slow cargo rover was close enough to relay a radio burst, but physical safety was at least five hours away through hostile territory. When he verbally uploaded his findings and position, the slaves halted, looking for the source of the muffled noise.
To create a distraction, he toppled the row of slaves like a line of dominoes. When the overseer came to investigate, Toby stabbed his drum with a knife. He had to slow the army to give his friends time to react.
While the pandas swarmed the shore looking for him, Toby dove back into the water. He swam underneath the stalled lead barge.
When the radio channel was established, Herk first tried to order him back. Then, the head of security spotted the rifle and swore. “That’s why the Magi pricks wouldn’t let us have any weapons—to make it easier for the poor sons of bitches that come after us. Lucky for us, you spotted them while the main body is still a couple days’ march away.”
“They’ll arrive during umbra. With the eclipse, their natural night vision will give them an advantage,” Toby said, thinking like a predator. “Even slowing the army a little would help.”
“What do you propose, Baatjies?”
“If I can grab the last weapon, maybe I can torch the ships and return the device to Elysium for Nadia to analyze,” he said, deep underwater. He had limited air without heavy scuba tanks. His visor mainly protected him against unexpected submersion. He could hold out ten minutes—five if he kept talking.
Herk said, “Wait. Take off your camel pack and attach it to the hull of the barge near the front.”
“Why?”
“I put the failsafe for my combat suit into your water pouch in case you ever wandered off on us again. I could . . .”
“Hide the hand of the uplifter?”
“No. If you ever went rogue again, I figured it would be because you stopped taking your meds,” Herk said grim
ly.
“You planned my quick death if I ever hurt Yvette again.”
“Yeah.”
“Thank you,” Toby said sincerely.
“Just attach the explosives and swim clear. When they start to sink, you should be able to search the deck during the confusion.”
Rachael interrupted on the link. “We cannot blow up natives who haven’t fired on us. It’s against UN policy.”
“And the Charter,” Toby added.
Herk said, “It’s my job to keep you all safe.”
“I just sent the signal to wake Z. He has to weigh in on this,” Rachael announced.
“I need to swap batteries and recharge in three hours,” Toby insisted.
“What’s Z going to do different than we would?” Herk asked.
Rachael replied, “Maybe tell us to leave.”
“And abandon Pear Blossom’s people?” Toby said. “He wouldn’t. They are our seed on this planet. They’re spreading the ideologies we encouraged. If they get wiped out, all this was for nothing. We still have one more gift to deliver before we can leave.”
“Okay,” Herk said. “I’ll make you a deal. If you let us plant the explosives just in case, I will help Risa and Nadia prep Ascension. Because we’d have to wait for Sanctuary to rendezvous, we’ll need to stock extra food and air for twelve people. Since it’s still rigged to haul ice, we’ll have to rip out the cargo partition and put seats back in. Those two tasks will take half the crew working twelve hours straight. The accommodations won’t be luxurious. Takeoff will be strenuous in the cheap seats.”
Rachael snapped, “Toby, forget the bomb and get back here.”
“Shouldn’t I stay to observe?”
Rachael sighed. “What happens if you’re captured? You speak Pandanese and can’t lie.”
A chill went through him. “Every male uses sharp, wooden toothpicks that are about ten centimeters long. I would commandeer a set. They might even give me one with meals.”
“And do what? Those won’t penetrate the first layer of fur.”
“No. I’d use them to puncture my own eardrums so I couldn’t hear the questions,” Toby offered.
“Get back here, or we’re leaving your dumb ass behind,” Rachael ordered. “I’ll check the perimeter defenses. Who should I take with me?”
“Ole,” Herk recommended. “She knows explosives almost as well as I do, and she’s trained in the new sneak suits.”
“Lou’s trying to talk to me on the other channel,” Rachael said. “Eliezer out.”
Toby ordered the aqua sled back to home base without him. Risa would take over the controls on the rapids. As he swam for the north shore, Toby tried to hold back the information but couldn’t. “Herk, you need to read my will before you send Oleander into combat. Baatjies out.”
Unhappy with getting this close and doing nothing, Toby debated leaving his wrist computer behind to listen in, but he couldn’t control the rover without it. Then he remembered the obsidian listening device and extracted it. Taking great care not to get it wet, he lobbed the bug behind the throne.
The entire procession upstream stopped minutes later. He listened to the bug to determine why.
A panda who growled deeply asked, “Have you heard from the elevated ones?”
“No, sire.” It was hard to tell the pandas apart with Mercy’s voice performing both.
“Sleep here. Soon we shall hear the death wails of our enemies. It stirs me like woman-song.”
Definitely hostile. Toby was able to use the confusion of the pandas setting up camp to slip into the jungle unopposed. Still, there were so many people clogging the game paths that it took him the full three hours to reach the shelter of the canyon wall. He climbed two-thirds of the way up until the slope turned to a vertical wall. His camouflage had begun flickering from the low battery. He charged it for two hours while waiting for the rover, on edge the entire time. He gripped the panda Taser in one hand and his survival knife in the other.
The rover carried a giant spool of rope strong enough to carry two men. When the transport arrived, he had the machine lower a cable. He clipped on and very slowly ascended so that his armor blended against the cliff face. He should have gone faster, but the incredible heat combined with the scars on his lungs made breathing difficult. While he rested on a ledge, he had the rover reel in the extra cable.
He paused mid step when he saw a pink sand dog sniff the place where he had been charging his suit battery. His hands started to ache. That dog was joined by two others. They circled and coughed for an eternity. By the time they gave up, Toby had no arm strength left. The rover had to winch him the rest of the way up.
Toby’s armor was scuffed a little as he was dragged through the brush and shale, but he was out of harm’s way—for now, at least. He climbed into the cargo hauler and ordered it back to base, crawling at its top speed of 4 kph. This gave him a chance to doze. He wasn’t likely to get another nap until he left this world, one way or the other.
Chapter 42 – The OK Corral
Near sundown, Oleander stood in line outside the distillery, waiting for the shower. She and Rachael took the day shift in armor, while Yvette and Yuki were scheduled for the night. Neoprene underwear in the desert felt like plastic wrap. No amount of bottled water made her feel cool. Oleander left her helmet off because wearing it made her feel like a pot about to boil.
Risa came out of the airlock fresh as a daisy, and Herk went in for his turn. The icy blast of air from the airlock made Oleander close her eyes in anticipation.
Rachael arrived at the end of the line soon after, red-faced and bitchy. She spoiled the perfect moment, as always. “Oleander, you need to sort all your high tech into stacks—back to Sanctuary or destroy. Everybody inside the base already has their gear divided.”
“What are the rules of engagement?” Oleander asked.
“Kid gloves. If at all possible, he doesn’t want us to harm the race we came to uplift. Z wants us to warn the rebels and escape. He’d like us to be gone before the attack comes.” Then the leader snapped at Risa, “Have you finished the shuttle yet?”
Oleander closed her mouth and tried to blend into the stonework. She wanted to push the power button for her sneak suit, but that would’ve attracted attention.
“No,” said the engineer. “We have about three hours of work left.”
“What? Your husband promised me twelve hours,” Rachael griped.
“That was an estimate, eleven hours ago.”
“What happened?”
“Other than waking me out of a sound sleep to start this project? I had to guide the aqua sled back, eat, and I also need natural light. You ordered no artificial sources on the mesa until the conflict is over.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry,” Risa said. “We’re tracking Toby’s bug. It says the throne shouldn’t be here till tomorrow night. We’re fueled up, and all the critical stuff is ready.”
Seeing the line of weary crew members in front of the showers, Johnny, the cook, rushed over with a tray of iced lemonade and sandwiches. “This is all perishable, and we can’t take it with us. Eat up.”
Johnny had been sucking up to Rachael ever since the last time Oleander was nearly caught in the pantry with him. Evidently, you could get pregnant standing up. She hadn’t told the father yet.
Ignoring Rachael’s show of placing an arm around Johnny, Oleander stared at the closest canyon wall above her and said, “Whatever his faults, Toby’s a solid scout. How far out is he?”
Risa replied, “Herk puts him at about eight hours by rover, less if he jogs. He should make our departure window either way. Yvette’s working next shift, so you could carry Toby’s personal weight allowance up to the cargo area of the shuttle when you bring yours up.”
“The hand cannot be seen,” Oleander recited.
Risa grabbed several sandwiches for herself and Herk. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to join Nadia to finish the last gift, the trestle or triangula
r brace.”
“Unnecessary,” Rachael said. “Snowflake said the epic poem can count as number twenty-seven.”
“That’s it? We’re done?” asked Risa, dropping a sandwich.
Rachael bent over to pick up the fallen food. “We officially passed our test as a species, and we can go home heroes. There might be a few legal problems about our disobeying UN orders to accomplish this, but success disinfects. Snowflake already told Mercy how to refuel the ship, and they can do it as soon as we’re all on board.”
Johnny furrowed his brow. “Why are you defending Toby? Why would you care about his gear? I mean, why would he even let you touch it?”
Was that a glitter on the ridge? Oleander thought, distracted. Sensors protected the astronauts five kilometers in every direction. The camouflaged buildings on the mesa would only be visible from the canyon walls at high magnification. Does someone have stolen binoculars up there, or is Toby back early?
Reeling from the news about their mission being over, Risa blurted, “When Toby went AWOL, Herk read the security logs. Oleander was the last person in Toby’s bedroom, and he left with her keycard.”
Dropping the tray, Johnny shouted at Oleander. “You fucked him, too?”
“Too?” Rachael screamed, and then punched Johnny in the face. The force of the blow knocked him back into the wall. “I’m going to kill you.”
A pinkish-purple dot swept the mesa in the corner of Oleander’s vision—tech the humans didn’t have.
Risa ran for the spaceport. The last time she tried to make peace, she’d ended up with bruises.
“Wait,” Oleander begged, grabbing Rachael’s arm. “There’s something—”
A bright light flashed, and they all heard a loud, high-pitched bleeoooo sound . . . just before Johnny collapsed, steam pouring out of his nostrils and mouth.
Somehow, the aborigines had acquired a weapon that could target and kill from incredible distance.
“Sniper,” Oleander shouted, tackling Rachael.
The Elysium leader stared in shock at her former lover. His eyes were open and white like boiled eggs. Oleander activated her own blending armor and said, “Go stealth. We need to get everyone to cover.”