by Elin Wyn
Leena and I could make this work. I knew that now. It wouldn’t be easy, but, then again, nothing worth doing ever was. And I was certain now that this was. Leena was worth all the trouble it would cause, and then some.
Still, I hated to go. I knew there was no other choice, these people would all die if we couldn’t get them supplies soon, but the thought of leaving Leena worried me. What if something happened while I was away? She and the rest of the survivors weren’t exactly up to the task of fighting off the Xathi.
I ran a hand through my hair, pondering imaginary options for one more time since having left Leena. There was no other way, no good answer. I had to go, and she had to stay.
I pushed my worry to the back of my mind as I threw my pack over my shoulder. There was nothing to be done for it. Worrying wouldn’t help.
The sooner I left, the sooner I could return, this time bringing supplies and safety with me. It was worth the risk.
I didn’t bother saying goodbye to anyone as I made my way towards the exit. Leena and I had already said our goodbyes in the tunnels, and I was fairly certain that no one else would care to hear it from me. I still sensed their distrust, it was heavy in their gazes, in the way they moved aside whenever I neared them.
Given time, I hoped they would come to accept my presence, but I wasn’t exactly counting on it. Either way, I wasn’t about to stress. The only human whose opinion I valued was Leena, and I now had a pretty good idea of how she felt about me.
The night was falling as I finally made my way from the cave, only dim light now making it through the trees. It was going to be a long night, walking back to the Vengeance alone. With a sigh, I started forward.
The forest was deceptively quiet, giving the impression that I was alone in the growing dark. I had been on this planet long enough to see through the illusion, of course, but it was odd to step into such silence after the cramped quarters of the tunnels.
Humans are loud, even when they try not to be. There’s always some sound giving away their location: a rustle, a sigh, even their breathing seems loud. In a way, it was nice to be back in the silence.
I walked for a long while, thinking of Leena and our time together as I went. She had surprised me, once again, back in the tunnels. I smiled, pulling my pack tighter on my shoulders. I would probably never have a dull moment with that one, but, srell, I no longer thought I wanted any.
Leena had been a surprise since the first moment I’d laid eyes on her, and I didn’t think she was going to stop being one any time soon.
After another few moments of thought, I was off again, heading quickly in the direction of the Vengeance.
It was easy to daydream, there was no denying that, but I had someplace to be, someone to take care of, and I didn’t want to stick around and risk another attack.
Who knew what might come next? Judging from what I’d seen so far, it could be anything.
It occurred to me that Jeneva should really teach those of us from the Vengeance how to handle the local wildlife. Traversing by oneself was risky at its best. Had we better knowledge, we could have brought the refugees over all at once. If anyone could be called an expert on such things, it would be her. After all, she did live among all the monsters for years.
I smiled, thinking of her, of them, really. Jeneva and Vrehx were lucky to have found each other. I wouldn’t have thought it possible to begin with, but they were actually a perfect fit.
Jeneva had changed remarkably since we met her. She was no longer the same stoic woman who we found in a cave. In fact, she had become almost friendly. And Vrehx, well, Vrehx no longer lived as if his sole purpose was to maintain order, a fact for which we were all deeply grateful.
It made me hopeful, knowing that two such different people were making it work. After all, if Jeneva and Vrehx could pull it off, things would likely be just as easy for Leena and me.
I had gotten so lost in thought, I almost didn’t notice when I finally approached the Vengeance. The trip back wasn’t nearly as long as I’d imagined. I smiled as I approached the door, feeling like I was coming home after a particularly bad day.
A moment later, I was back inside the ship proper, saying quick hellos as I searched for General Rouhr. I found him in the hall, looking half-relieved to see me.
“General.”
“Axtin, how did it go?” he asked me.
After all that had happened, it took me a moment to remember why we had even left to begin with.
“Oh, very well, General,” I said. “Leena was successful with the scent bombs.”
“Ah, finally, good news,” he sighed.
“Well, I wish that was all that happened. We had a run-in, sir, with the Xathi.”
He seemed to finally notice I was alone, looking over my shoulder in question.
“Leena?” he asked.
“Fine, she’s fine. But she and a group of survivors are hiding near Duvest, running very low on supplies.”
He furrowed his brow in thought.
“Near Duvest, you say?”
“That’s right.”
“Where exactly?”
I resisted the urge to rush him to action, knowing I’d get nowhere without answering his questions.
“They’re in a tunnel system between Fraga and Duvest. Sir, there are nearly a hundred survivors, many injured, some children. They need supplies and guards immediately. I’ll organize it.”
I turned to go, content to let him think it through while I spread the word.
“Axtin,” he said.
I suppressed a growl, turning back to him.
“Yes?”
“Engineer Thribb has been testing short-range satellites.”
I was practically thrumming with impatience, but his words stilled me.
“And?”
“A Xathi horde has been spotted in the vicinity”
I didn’t wait to hear more. I couldn’t. Before he’d even finished his sentence, I was off, rushing to gather the men.
17
Leena
I watched the canteen pass between sets of tiny hands, each child taking a small drink before passing it to the next. They didn’t complain, which, in some ways, was worse than if they did.
How quickly they had adjusted to this new reality, how deeply they seemed to understand the dire straits we had found ourselves in.
I kept the smile plastered on my face as the container made its way back to me, now almost empty. It wouldn’t have done any good to show them my concern. They had already developed enough worry themselves.
“When will the green man be back?” a little boy asked, excitement touching his features.
They were so small. Their minds were not yet plagued by the prejudices of their elders. In fact, most of them seemed downright fascinated, rather than afraid, by Axtin.
“Very soon.”
“Good,” he answered, sounding serious. “I like his hammer.”
My laughter was genuine as I reached across to ruffle his hair. Of all the things to mention.
“Well, he and his hammer will be back before you know it,” I replied.
They all smiled at that, hope shining through their dirt-smudged faces. I tucked the canteen into my belt and stood, saving the last bits of water for later.
“You all play nice now,” I said. “I’m going to go check on the grownups.”
It already seemed like a long time since Axtin had left. My nerves were completely fried in his absence. I had gotten so used to having him around. I felt almost vulnerable without him at my side.
Despite that, though, I still knew he had made the right choice. Leaving wasn’t easy for him, but it was our only chance. All I had to do to remind myself of that fact was look at the children running around the tunnels.
And believe me, I was needing a lot of reminding.
I had barely made it half way across the space when I felt a tug at my hand. I knew without looking who it was.
“Calixta,” I said, turning with a smi
le. “Don’t you want to play with the other kids? Maybe with Koda? He looks lonely.”
She looked offended at the suggestion, tightening her grip on my hand as she gazed up at me.
She had hardly left my side since I got back to the main cavern after Axtin’s departure. Not that I could blame her.
After our little run-in with the Xathi, I think I was the only person she truly trusted. She clung to me as she had in the forest, as if her life depended on it.
I had asked Vidia about her parents and learned that they hadn’t survived the attack. She was all alone here.
“Alright then, if you’re sure,” I said.
“I’m sure, Leena.” She smiled, her entire face lighting up.
It was all I could do not to cry.
“Okay, I’m just going to be checking on people, boring stuff really,” I said.
“I don’t mind,” she replied.
“Suit yourself,” I said with a smile.
But I was happy for the company.
I set my sights on a group of people huddled on the other side of the cavern. Some of them looked a little worse for wear. Most of the badly wounded were still lying off to the side, but some of the others weren’t in much better shape.
“How are we doing?” I asked as we approached, resuming my phony smile.
Several sets of eyes swiveled to meet me, varying levels of weariness seeming to radiate from them.
“We’re low on water,” one woman offered, gesturing towards a canteen at her belt. “And we need medical supplies quickly.”
I knew that most of the containers in the tunnels were in similar condition, the townspeople not having had much on them to begin with.
“The water here is safe to drink. As far as supplies, we’re working on fixing that as soon as possible.”
“When the alien returns, you mean?” a skeptical-looking man asked.
“Yes, that’s what I mean,” I said with steel in my voice.
He had the nerve to scoff, his eyes rolling in his too small head as he did so.
“I realize that everyone’s worried,” I started, trying to keep the irritation from my voice. “But Axtin will be back soon with food and water.”
“And if he doesn’t?” the first woman asked.
It was all I could do not to growl. “He will.”
The group exchanged looks of disbelief, their concern obvious.
“I know you think that,” the man said, taking a step nearer to us. “But the rest of us aren’t so sure. He’s an alien, for fuck’s sake. He doesn’t have any loyalty to us humans.”
“Is that so?” My voice hardened, taking on its familiar edge. “If you have a better solution, I’m sure we’d all love to hear it.”
He lowered his head, grumbling unintelligibly.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “What was that?”
“Look,” he said, raising his eyes to meet mine. “Just because you trust that thing doesn’t mean he hasn’t left us to die.”
I glanced down at Calixta, if only to remind myself that she was still present. With her there, my options for rebuttal were limited.
I couldn’t, for example, rip the man’s head from his shoulders and use it as a ball, as much as I might like to.
“Okay, I’m getting a little tired of your mouth,” I said instead. “So let’s be clear here. That thing as you call him, is your one and only chance of making it through this alive. If you want to doubt him, I can’t stop you. But given that you have literally no other options, you might as well trust him.”
I didn’t wait for a response. What would be the point?
I turned away from the group, hoping but not really believing, that my words might have some effect on them.
They made me feel ashamed. Of my species, for one, but mainly of myself. I couldn’t listen to their inane fears without remembering that I myself had voiced similar thoughts.
It wasn’t their fault, I told myself. It was natural to fear the unknown. The thoughts did nothing to quell my anger.
Natural or not, it was wrong.
All Axtin had done since crashing on this godforsaken planet was try to help. And still, he was met with nothing but fear and distrust, if not outright hatred.
It made me sick.
“Are you okay?” Calixta asked, her words tinged with worry.
I had to remind myself again that she was still with me, that I couldn’t fall apart. Not yet anyway, for her sake if nothing else.
“I’m fine, sweetie,” I said. “Let’s just go sit down.”
She nodded as she followed me over to a blessedly empty spot along the wall.
We sat in comfortable silence as Calixta used a loose stone to draw on the rocky ground, while I dug desperately through the same old thoughts.
I worried that something would happen to Axtin. I worried that even if he got here, it still wouldn’t be enough. Fear and doubt spun through my mind on an endless loop, harsh and unrelenting.
I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes and trying my best to shut out the worry. It served no purpose, would help nothing.
For a long time I sat motionless, letting the exhaustion lull me into a though-less state. I hadn’t even realized just how tired I was until I had stopped moving.
The space around me grew steadily quieter as everyone relaxed, the conversations slowing and eventually dropping off. It was odd, considering how much had happened, but there really wasn’t much to say.
There were no solutions to discuss nor plans of action. At some point the rest of them must have figured it out because by the time I opened my eyes again, I was surrounded by silence.
I glanced over at Calixta, realizing she had wandered off to Koda at some point. The two of them were now sleeping with their heads together. The rock she was using to draw was still cradled in one tiny fist, her expression peaceful in the safety of sleep. I grinned down at her. Even though we’d only just met, I had already grown fond of her.
I lay beside her, letting myself drift off in the dim lighting. I don’t know how long I slept. Not long enough, that much is for sure.
I woke with a start. Something must have drawn me from an admittedly fitful sleep.
It was a sound, far off but persistent. Something grating, a scraping. My mind lazily spun back to Calixta and for a moment I thought she might have woken up and started her makeshift drawing again.
It made enough sense that I almost accepted it as fact and went back to sleep, but something stopped me.
With a groan I rose onto my elbows, looking around through sleep-addled eyes. Calixta was just where I’d seen her last, still sleeping soundly at my side.
Something was wrong.
I sat upright and examined the space for movement as I tried my hardest to identify the sound. It was growing louder, that much was for sure, an insistent scraping that I couldn’t quite place.
I stood, walking to the nearest tunnel, my head craned towards the sound. It was definitely coming from the tunnel. Chills ran down my spine, my hair standing on end.
I could hear it in the tunnel, could sense it coming closer. But it wasn’t only there. The sound was coming from behind me as well.
I spun, panic rising in my chest. No, not just behind me, it was coming from all sides.
It finally clicked the moment before they came pouring in.
Legs. What I was hearing was the sound of legs scraping against the rough stone of the tunnels. Not human, of course, but the crystalline limbs of the Xathi.
“Calixta!” I screamed, sprinting back towards the sleeping child.
But it was too late.
From all around us, from several tunnels at once, the Xathi flooded into our clearing, the hair-raising grating sound seeming to rise in crescendo as they came.
We were completely surrounded.
18
Axtin
I found Vrehx and our team in the cafeteria, grabbing a bite to eat. “Commander!”
Vrehx looked up from his meal and
swallowed his bite before answering. “You made it back. Karzin and his team had a pool started on whether or not you’d return. I…”
I didn’t let him finish. “Sir, I just found out from Rouhr that a Xathi horde was spotted just a bit out of Duvest.”
“That’s right.”
“Leena’s in that area. As are a bunch of wounded refugees and children.”
“Srell!” He turned to the rest of the team and issued orders. “Get your gear, we’re out in two minutes.”
The others nodded and left without question.
“If it’s a horde, we need more guns.” I needed to reload anyway.
“I’m not going to stop you from loading up, you know that,” Vrehx said to me, speaking slowly.
“Not what I meant,” I corrected myself, speaking slowly. “We need another team. They’re starting to use the suits.”
“Shit!”
I looked at him with a thin grin on my face. “Excuse me?”
He shook his head and chuckled as he opened the armory doors. “Been around the humans too much. Starting to pick up their language.”
“I understand that. These humans are intriguing.”
“They are, indeed,” Vrehx agreed with a chuckle.
The team laughed as they finished loading up. Then Vrehx looked at me and shook his head. “Turn around and take the straps off.”
“I don’t follow”
Vrehx sighed. “You’re bleeding all over my armory. Turn around so I can hit you with the med-foam,” he said to me. “You’re useless dead.”
It was my turn to sigh, but I did as ordered. I turned around and took off my hammer.
As Vrehx sprayed my wounds with the med-foam, a fantastic invention by Zairk and our medic, he told Tu’ver to go get Karzin and his team and have them catch up. He finished spraying my wounds, which stung just a little, but I was grateful.
I gave him a nod, then re-strapped my pack and put my hammer backinto its harness.
“The suits are a problem, however,” Vrehx said finally. “The queens must have decided to conserve their soldiers, send out weaker castes to fight.”
I nodded. It made sense. The Xathi were making use of every tool they had. Just as we needed to do. And for all we knew, they could make more suits faster than they could hatch more soldiers.