Giving her a smirk, he said, "All I was going to say was that I would never be able to look at my mother's gift to me in the same way again."
"Oh. Good. Then there's only one more thing to discuss before going to sleep." The sudden tension in his body suggested that he knew exactly what she was going to ask. "Will you take me along with you tomorrow?" He closed his eyes and she could almost see his mind sorting through excuses to deny her.
"My job is not a game or an illusion, Cherry. The risks are real."
"I know that as well as you—I was with you on Zoenid, remember?"
"I had a specific reason for taking you then, and besides, I knew what the risks would be there and I was prepared for them. I have no idea what might be waiting for me on Lore. There are reports that no one landing on Lore has ever been heard from again. They simply disappear, ship and all, into the mist, which, by the way, has been tested and found to be lethal to humanoid life forms as well as most others."
"Well, the way it sounds, you're already risking my life just by taking the ship down there. It was your decision not to put me off when you had the chance on Norona."
"Cherry..." he murmured in a warning tone.
"Okay. I won't start on that again, but the fact is I am on board, I want to be involved and I might be of help. Two heads are usually better, you know." His frustrated sigh let her know he didn't have an argument for any of her points. "What are you going to do about the mist?"
"Wear a protective suit, although if the reports are true, it might not be sufficient."
Cherry studied his features for a moment. "But you don't believe the reports. You're thinking about a certain Con rep that landed there and obviously returned to Norona because all of the reps are now accounted for, right?"
He gave her a small nod. "Right. If he went down there and left safely, I can too. The fact that he went there at all is what's important. As far as I know, no one has bothered to investigate the planet in decades, so anything might be going on there without being noticed. Someone or something must be on Lore, or the Con rep wouldn't have run to it directly from hiring Frezlo. Thus, that something must have a bearing on the Weebort's assassination."
"And your mission."
"Exactly."
"I agree completely. Now you agree that if you leave the ship to go exploring, you'll be making me Mar-Dot's responsibility. Won't you be worried about what I might do without your protective custody? While you're hunting down clues, part of your brain will be preoccupied with that concern."
"You wouldn't"—his expression filled with the worry her suggestion prompted—"Would you?"
She gave him an enigmatic smile. "What do you think?"
"I think I've been conned." He rubbed his chin a few times. "Listen, the deadliness of the mist is not its only factor. It's also too thick to see through. If I took you along, and we got separated, I might never find you. Are you still willing to wear the collar?"
She grimaced. "If that's the only way you'll take me. But if it turns out not to be necessary, it comes right off, okay?" When he didn't answer right away, she tickled his side. "Okay?"
He grabbed her hand and brought it to his mouth for a kiss, then held on to it as he asked, "Will you promise to behave like a slave, do everything I tell you to and trust me to know what I'm doing, even if it looks like I'm abandoning you, as it did on Zoenid?"
She got to her knees and bowed to him. "Yes, master. Whatever you say, master. Is there some special service I can do now that will prove my loyal obedience?"
His thumb brushed across her puckered nipple. "I'm sure I could come up with one if I give it some thought. Especially in your current position." Instead he coaxed her to stretch out on top of his body. "As I recall, you did imply you were going to use sexual favors to influence my decision." With a squirming motion, she cradled his legs between hers. "I admit I have been influenced by your efforts." She licked one of his nipples, then the other. "Hmmm. I think one more favor ought to do it."
She slithered up his body and nipped his lower lip. "You're an insatiable barbarian."
Before they fell asleep, he lived up to her description... and agreed to take her exploring with him on Lore.
The next morning, Gallant was already out of bed when Cherry awoke. Her first thought was that he had tricked her again, leaving her behind in spite of his promise, but the sound of boot heels in the corridor outside reassured her that he had not. The door opened and he came in carrying a tray.
She smiled and, with a luxurious stretch, sat up with her feet beneath her thighs and the sheet tucked under her armpits. "I thought I was supposed to be the slave."
He set the tray on the bed in front of her knees then gave her a kiss before sitting down on the other end of the bunk. "There are times when the slave is so good she earns a few special privileges. I hope toast and a scrambler will do."
"Only if they're real," she answered with a laugh as she picked up one of the mugs of wake-up. "Your marshmallows didn't fill my stomach very well."
He clucked his tongue at her. "I give you my best efforts and all I get is sarcasm." With a smile, he stuck a fork into the yellow protein mixture and fed it to her.
Her taste buds assured her it was real, and hadn't improved any since yesterday, or the day before that. "What I wouldn't give for Belgian waffles smothered in blueberries and heaped with whipped cream." In a flash, the boring plate of food looked like a gourmand's delight. "Perfect! Now if you only had the power to improve the flavor, I'd be in heaven."
Swallowing a bite of toast, he shook his head. "Never satisfied, are you?"
She wiggled her eyebrows at him. "You should know the answer to that."
Instantly, her appetizing breakfast burst into a flambé. Without thinking, she jerked away from the flames and bumped her head on the wall.
The fire vanished, leaving her plate in its original state. She rubbed the back of her head but her chuckle let him know she was unhurt.
"That's what you get for teasing a barbarian," he said with a sexy grin. "I fully intended to keep my mind on my mission this morning."
Her eyes widened. "Oh! I almost forgot. Where are we?"
"Circling Lore. Mar-Dot is scanning for life forms. Take your time. They haven't found anything down there yet."
Nonetheless, they joined Mar-Dot on the bridge a short while later.
"Anything yet?" Gallant asked hopefully.
Dot smiled a greeting at Cherry before answering. "We have scanned the entire planet and there is not one sign of life, either animal or plant. It appears to be as uninhabited as we had heard. As you suggested, we used the vacuum technique to take samples of the mist from several locations and had the computer analyze it."
Gallant sat down in his chair and Cherry perched on its arm beside him. "Results?"
The he-she turned their body so that Dot could continue facing the captain with Mar still able to see his monitor. "It is made up of a poisonous gas compound but there is nothing in it that would damage the structure of the ship."
"Will standard suits protect us?"
"Us?" Dot's eyes widened with apprehension.
"Not you," he assured her quickly. "Cherry and I. Never mind how she talked me into it."
Dot's smile said she didn't need to be told. "The suits should be more than adequate. Of course, ours will need some alterations if she is to use it."
"This is most interesting," Mar said, turning toward Gallant. "Once we were certain the mist would not affect the ship, we moved in closer for additional testing. The gravitational pull is quite strong, but not enough to cause a ship to crash. Also, the outside temperature is a fraction above freezing—not low enough to create any problem with the drive unit. At first, I could not see any reason for a ship to enter the mist and never come out. However, the computer just completed the tests on the surface samples."
"Must you always go into a long dissertation before getting to the point?" Dot asked with obvious annoyance.
"Ye
s," Mar replied indignantly, "whenever the situation requires one. As I was about to say before I was so rudely interrupted, the surface is slush, at least a mile deep."
Cherry leaned forward. "Slush, as in sloppy snow, sleet, and not quite ice?"
Mar nodded. "I believe that description fits. Between the soft surface and the strong gravity, a ship attempting to land on the planet would be sucked beneath tons of the matter before the crew had a chance to reverse its position."
Gallant rubbed his chin. "And yet Frezlo saw a ship go down there that had to have come back out."
Cherry put her mind to the puzzle. "Maybe that ship just circled the planet within the mist like we're doing."
Frowning, he shook his head. "I don't think so. Frezlo made it sound like the ship headed directly in without stopping. Only someone who knew in advance that the mist wouldn't damage the ship—or someone bent on suicide—would go ahead without running tests first. No, there has to be something we're missing."
Cherry got up and strolled around the panel. "Mar, you said the slush goes about a kilometer deep. Then what?"
"It appears to be solid rock below the slush."
Cherry circled the bridge again. "Could there be a civilization inside that planet, like Innerworld is in the center of Earth? If the Noronians built tunnels into a planet ten thousand years ago, why couldn't some other people have done it here as well?"
Gallant caught her hand as she made a pass by him and pulled her onto his knee. "Sit still, woman, you're making me dizzy. She's got a valid idea, Mar. Look for any magnetic fields similar to—"
"Already started, Captain," Dot said, without turning toward him. "We'll have the results in a few minutes."
Gallant pulled Cherry close enough to whisper in her ear. "Do me a favor and get me an eye patch before I embarrass you with an image of what you make me want to do."
She burst out laughing, but when she leaned back she saw that his hand was shielding his left eye.
"What can I tell you," he murmured, "I love the way your brain works too." He gave her a nudge and she got off his knee.
As she headed back to his room, she replayed his last sentence in her head. He had used the word "too", but as far as she could recall, he had never said he "loved" anything about her.
Love was one word that usually sent her fleeing from any man who spoke it to her. Other words that gave her the shivers were commitment, faithful and forever. All of them conjured up visions of two-room shacks and ten whining brats... prison bars and leg irons. They were all antonyms of Freedom! and thereby stricken from her vocabulary.
She found one of Gallant's eye patches and stopped in Mar-Dot's room to get the set of cheats she had never returned to him. By the time she returned to the bridge, she convinced herself that he hadn't consciously used that word on purpose.
"You did it, Cherry," Gallant said with a broad smile, as he adjusted the eye patch then slipped the cheats into the hidden pouch in his vest. "Mar-Dot found twelve magnetic fields around the planet, almost in the exact positions as Terra's. In each of those spots, the slush is much shallower than the random locations first tested."
"Captain," Mar interrupted. "I think we have something of importance at one of the fields. There is a large rocky plateau jutting above the slush. The readings also indicate that there are a number of inanimate objects constructed primarily of a metallic substance on that shelf."
"Try to get a configuration on the screen." A few seconds later several outlines took shape on both their monitors. "I'll be drekked! They're ships!"
"And that makes the plateau someone's private parking lot," Cherry concluded. "Hurry up guys. What's below the plateau?"
Mar turned his face slightly toward her. "Based on the computer's density analysis, there appears to be a network of caves beneath the solid shelf."
"Bingo!" Cherry exclaimed with a snap of her fingers.
Gallant gave her a thumbs-up sign as he rose from his seat. "Take her down, Mar, but keep the security shields activated just in case. Cherry, come with me to get the suits."
With each passing second, Cherry's anxious fidgeting increased until Gallant had to threaten to leave her behind if she didn't stand still. He explained how the headpieces were equipped with communicators so they could speak to each other and Mar-Dot. After making several adjustments to Mar-Dot's protective suit, Cherry could move about somewhat normally.
He waited until they were ready to exit before closing the collar around Cherry's neck and fastening the manacle to his left wrist.
She immediately noted how he kept his right hand free to handle the weapon clipped to his belt. "There's one thing I want to know. This chain will keep me close to you but if the mist is that thick, how will we find our way back to the ship?"
"Right outside the door is a lead line. I'll attach it to my belt before we go anywhere. But even if something happens to the line, Mar-Dot could guide me back in mentally."
"Okay then. Let's rock."
Gallant didn't bother to ask what that expression meant as he gave Mar the signal to seal off the corridor so they could open the ship's door. Any mist that drifted inside would be detoxified after they left and the same procedure would be followed in reverse upon their return.
The moment the door closed behind them, Cherry felt as if someone had dropped an icy, white sheet over her head. There were hints of light but no visibility whatsoever. She groped for Gallant's hand and the contact reassured her a little.
It only took a few seconds for the protective suit to adjust its temperature to keep her from feeling the outside chill, but it was long enough to know that if the mist wasn't lethal, the cold air would still make it impossible to get around without a suit. She couldn't help but wonder which would be worse, dying from asphyxiation or exposure?
Though Gallant had to release her hand long enough to attach the lead line, he came back to her immediately. "Have you got a fix on us, Mar?" he asked aloud.
"Yes, Captain. If you would begin walking, I will direct you toward the location that appears to have a tunnel between the surface and the underground network of caves."
"Visibility is absolute zero, so try to warn us about any high or low spots on the ground also."
The words were barely out of his mouth when the mist suddenly parted before them like a curtain. Cherry screamed as a huge four-legged beast with two long curved tusks came charging toward them.
Chapter 14
Gallant yanked Cherry toward him and leapt aside in the nick of time. What appeared to be a prehistoric mastodon thundered by, heading straight for the ship.
"Mar-Dot! Brace yourself," Gallant exclaimed.
"What is happening?"
"You're about to be—" He cut himself off as he realized the animal should have already collided with the ship, yet he had heard no crash. "Did you pick up anything unusual on the monitor just before I yelled?"
"Negative. I was scanning the surface elevations as you suggested."
"Check for life forms again. Something that seemed very much alive just about trampled us to death then got swallowed up by the mist somewhere between us and the ship."
"Gallant," Cherry said with a tug on his hand. "How is it that we could see that animal as clear as day, yet we can't see each other?"
"Good question."
"Captain, we are showing life forms besides yours now."
"Anything four-legged?"
"Negative. The readings are indicating that five humanoids are about fifty meters to your right."
Gallant turned Cherry in that direction and started walking again. "This way?"
"A few centimeters back to your left and you should bump right into them."
Cherry's stomach clenched with a combination of fear and anticipation, but she reminded herself that coming along had been her idea and she ordered her feet to keep moving. Not being able to see was causing her to be more frightened than she normally would be.
"Captain," Mar-Dot said in an urgent tone. "We
are picking up a powerful surge of energy emanating from those life forms."
As suddenly as before, the mist lifted, and a throng of painted savages came running toward them, brandishing spears and howling like banshees. Cherry could see them perfectly as they closed in on her, but she still couldn't see Gallant right beside her.
A short, high-pitched buzz alerted her that Gallant had used his little black box, and yet she was unable to see the beam of light that she knew would accompany the shot he had fired. Again and again she heard that buzz, but none of the savages fell.
When they were almost upon them, Cherry tried to pull him away. "Gallant! We've got to get back to the ship!"
"Stand still," he said much too calmly for her peace of mind. One of the savages balanced his spear high in the air and thrust it toward Cherry with terrifying force. As Gallant held her in place, she screamed again, certain it would be the last sound she ever made.
But nothing happened. The spear never hit her. It simply vanished, and a second later, so did the savages.
"What the hell was—"
Gallant squeezed her hand. "Mar-Dot, what've you got?"
"The energy surge has dissipated."
"And the five life forms?"
"In the same position."
"All right. Guide us to them."
Cherry's heart was racing as they followed Mar-Dot's directions. "I don't get it. What's going on?"
Gallant's tightly controlled voice made her imagine how wary his expression probably was. "Remember your breakfast?"
Cherry gasped. "You think these are illusions?"
"It would seem so. Did the savages look solid to you?"
"Absolutely. Why?"
"The animal charged by too fast to notice but the savages looked almost translucent to me. I was immediately certain they weren't real."
GALLANT (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 3) Page 18