Emma's Heart (Brides of Theron 3)

by Rebecca Pond

  In between booths, the woman chatted as if they had been friends forever. Even though Gracie and Avery had been friends for much longer, they readily accepted Emma into the fold and asked her many questions about her former life back on Earth. They each realized that all of them all had little or no family when they were abducted. Gracie had told Emma all about the trust that her and Zane had set up back on Earth, giving her many more details about it than she had in the meeting a few weeks back.

  “I am starving!” Gracie said as she looked around. “I am definitely going to pass out if I don’t get something to eat very soon! These little buggers keep me hungry all the time.” She patted her stomach as she referred to her babies that were growing inside of her.

  “The food center is over this way,” Emma said as she led the way.

  The food pavilion was a bit more crowded than the market stalls, but it still was nothing like the last time she was here. “There are all kinds of food here. I know what I am going to get.” Emma headed straight for the booth her and Brylon went to the other day. The other two followed her to see what she was going to order.

  Avery said, “Oh my God, that looks so good. What is it?”

  Emma looked to the side with her lips pressed tight together as she tried to remember the name of the food, “Crap, I don’t remember what it is called, but it tastes like vegetarian pizza. I ate two pieces last time I was here, and that’s what I am going to order this time.” Emma laughed at the looks on her friends faces. “What? I’m telling you, it’s so good. Why don’t you try it?”

  “Ok you convinced me. Two pieces here, please.” Gracie motioned to the female vendor. “What about you Avery?”

  “I guess I will get the same,” Avery said as she shrugged her shoulders.

  Once they had their food served to them on a tray, they went to sit at a table that was underneath one of large the branches that hung down low over the center of the food pavilion. The area around them was virtually empty, which actually made the trio feel a bit more secure. Some of the individuals that they had encountered in the market they weren’t exactly sure about. It wasn’t that they suspected that anyone would harm them, it was just weird seeing different alien species that were so different. Some of them were unusual colors, and some had numerous extra limbs, or other odd body features. The many different life forms that resided on Theron would definitely take some getting used to.

  “So, when are your babies due?” Emma asked right before she took a bit of her food.

  “Avery swallowed the food in her mouth before replying, “Well, this is going to sound strange, but Zane really isn’t sure.”

  “What?”

  Avery smiled, “Zane isn’t sure because this is the first time that they have mated with a different race. Zane said that Theron women carry their babies for about 7 ½ months, which is about six weeks shorter we do. So, basically I am Zane’s guinea pig. The baby can come anywhere in between 7 ½ to 9 months.”

  “I am kind of glad that you are going to be delivering first Avery. At least I will know when to expect my babies,” Gracie mumbled around her mouthful of food. “Emma, you were so right about this stuff. It’s really good!”

  The rest of the day passed too quickly for Emma. After they finished their meal, they returned to the shops. Before she knew it, the light in the sky was starting to fade, and several booths were starting to close up for the day. It was then when they realized it was getting really late. Not that it mattered to Avery and Gracie. Their mates knew that they had gone out to the market for the day, but Brylon, on the other hand, did not. Emma had no doubt that he would be mad if he made it home before she did and found that she was nowhere to be seen.

  With their packages in hand, the group of women left the market in good spirits. Emma had had the time of her life and didn’t want the day to end. It was amazing that she could feel so comfortable talking to these women. They had talked about so much and for so long that her jaw was starting to ache from talking and laughing all day. They accepted her as a friend and Emma felt great about that. The time she spent with them today would be worth the scolding she was sure to receive from Brylon as soon she got home. The drive back was no different than the ride there. The night sky of Theron was beautiful with its two moons that shined so brightly in the sky. The cooler night air held a bit of a chill, so they had driven back home with the top up.

  Gracie pulled the vehicle to a stop in front of Emma’s house. Avery and Emma both got out and sorted through the packages that were thrown in the back seat to what they bought. They were in the process of telling each other goodbye, when the door to Emma’s house flew open and Brylon came storming out. He was clearly angry with her. The women became immediately silent as the huge warriors walked furiously up to where Emma stood.

  “Where the hell have you been?” Brylon shouted.

  Emma couldn’t hide the fact that she was scared. No matter what the punishment would be, she knew that today’s trip to the market was worth it. This was the first time in her life that she ever experienced the camaraderie of girl friends like Avery and Gracie.

  Chapter 19

  Carel called for Zirlo. “Zirlo, get your ass over here!” Carel had to keep up the pretense of being in charge of the prisoners, not working with them.

  Zirlo had been working on another line of gold that had been found in the rock that morning. He looked up when he heard his name being called, startled that he had been caught trying to put some of the small flakes of the precious metal into his sleeve. He stopped what he was doing and left Lars to gather up the few flakes that had fallen to the dirt floor.

  When Zirlo approached Carel, he could tell that the man was up to something. “What is it, Carel? Can’t you see we are working?”

  “We are going to dump the cart, now. Get your men.” Carel turned to walk off, but was halted when Zirlo questioned him.

  “Don’t you think it’s a bit early for that?”

  “Prisoner, do not question me if you know what’s good for you. I told you to go and get your men. Now!” Carel walked up to the fully loaded rock cart.

  Zirlo headed back to where he and the rest of his men were working. Something was definitely up and he couldn’t wait to find out what.

  “Let’s go. Carel wants us to dump the cart now,” he said to the group of prisoners when he returned to where they were working.

  Hator went to question Zirlo, but was cut off by a glance from the commander.

  “I don’t know,” Zirlo said as the group followed Zirlo to where the cart was waiting to be pushed to the outside pit. They were all on edge. What had Carel found out? Everything was in place for Zirlo and Lars to escape except for the one major piece of the puzzle. They didn’t have access to the ship yet, and couldn’t seem to get near enough to one in order to even attempt to escape.

  “Move it prisoners!” Carel shouted in their faces with more authority than needed.

  Each man took up their normal position around the car and began the arduous journey to the outside. Once the group was out of the sight of the main cavern and the other guards in their sector, Carel had them stop.

  Carel stepped back to the car where Zirlo was stooping down looking at one of the wheels as if something was caught up in it.

  “There is a fighter landing very close to the pit in a few minutes,” Carel whispered in Zirlo’s ear as he pretended to be interested in what was causing a problem with the wheel of the cart.

  The commander’s movement stopped for a brief second as he listened to the news. This was the moment they had been waiting for. “How far away is it?”

  “It will land right on the edge of the pit on landing pad #1. That pad will be the easiest one to get to without being seen. I sure hope you are ready for this,” Carel said.

  “As ready as we will ever be. Just go along with whatever happens. We don’t want you to get caught having anything to do with this. If we fail to get out of here someone else may need you to attempt an escape
at a later time.” He stood back up and called Lars over. “Lars, come here. I need your help.”

  Lars’ heart was pounding as he went over to Zirlo. He just knew that this was his chance to get away from this prison and the hard labor.

  “The plan starts as soon as we reach the outside. Do everything as we planned it. Pass on the word to Hator and Danuwee. We will be moving again in few minutes so be prepared.”

  Lars grinned as he walked back to tell the others of the news. He was going to be a free man again very soon or he was going to die trying. Once he was in the ship or fighter, it would be very easy for him to get rid of Zirlo and go about his own way.

  Outside the cavern the weather was deteriorating quickly. The winds were blowing dust and dirt up into the air, making it hard to see where the group was going. But this only heightened the excitement for the men. They couldn’t have asked for better weather conditions to attempt an escape. The cover of the dust in the air would help them stay out of sight.

  “Now, make it look like we have lost control of the car,” Zirlo told Danuwee, as to the right of them, the sound of a fighter landing was growing louder and louder with each step. He needed to get a look at where the fighter was trying to land. He could make out the landing pad. It was only about fifty yards away and was concealed on one side by a large storage container and the rise of the pit on the other side. Anyone who came out of the fighter wouldn’t be paying very much attention to the workers along the edge of the pit, but rather on the strong winds that were kicking up dust in wind storm.

  Zirlo shouted above the winds, “Push the car, damn it! Come on men, put your backs into it.” He strained against the weight of the cart with what little strength he had in arms, as he pulled as hard as he could manage on the ropes that were attached to the front of the car. They were just about ready to put the plan they had worked on for years into action. “Lars, get up here and help me.” Since Lars joined the group, it had been planned that when the car got close to the pit, the two who were pulling would appear to be struggling with the car. This would allow him to bring forth another prisoner in order to help pull the car to the mouth of the pit.

  The winds had picked up dramatically in the short time they had been exposed to the outside air. It actually appeared as if the Gods were working in their favor, as the winds rocked the heavily laden cart as it was pushed and pulled to the edge of the cliff. Zirlo, Lars and Danuwee stood on the edge of dump pit while Hator and Carel were standing at the rear of the car. At that exact moment the lights of fighter craft landing could be seen through the swirling dust and dirt in the air.

  “Now,” Zirlo shouted above the sound of the wind. The three in the front pulled the cart as hard they could, which caused the cart to tip over the edge, and as it balanced precariously on the edge the entire script of the plan was now in full swing.

  “Watch out you fools!” Carel shouted angrily all the while keeping an eye on the landing fighter. “Pull it back, or its going to go over the side!” Carel moved in at the back of the car to make it look as if he was trying to pull it back away from the edge of the pit. Instead he was actually helping to shove it over the cliff.

  “Get out of the way! We can’t get it back. It’s going over!” Danuwee shouted into the wind. One last final push sent the heavy car over the edge that supposedly took Zirlo and Lars with it. “Zirlo, Lars!” Danuwee called over the side of the deep pit. The dust was so thick that they wouldn’t have been able to see anything in the dumping pit.

  At the same moment the car tipped over the side of the pit, Zirlo and Lars jumped onto the mound of rocks in the cart as it went over the side. They had to time their jump perfectly, or they would become tangled up in the ropes that trailed behind the cart as it plunged down the side of the dump pit. As the cart plunged down the edge of the cliff, it stirred up a ton of dirt that was added to the already dirt saturated air. When they leaped off the cart, the cart began to crash and tumble the entire way down the incline until it was no longer visible even to them. No one saw as the two men clung to the side of the steep incline as they made their way as quickly as they could to the base of landing pad #1.

  Looking back over his shoulder, Zirlo could vaguely make out Carel, Danuwee and Hator standing near the edge shouting and looking down as if searching for the lost pair of warriors. Carel then called out to seek help from the other guards so that he wouldn’t call attention to himself or the escapees.

  Just above their heads, the fighter had landed and was in the process of shutting the systems down. The commotion over by the pit had drawn a lot of attention and would provide ample opportunity for him and Zirlo to get into the fighter. Now, if the pilot would just get out of the fighter they could be on their way. Everything was falling right into place. Lars knew from experience that they would never completely shut down the fighter in a dust/dirt storm. The air coming from the thrusters would prevent the particles in the air from settling into the engine and other important parts of the fighter. This would help him to quickly get the fighter off of the ground, and the dust being kicked out from the engines as well as from the gusts of wind from the storm, would provide them the cover they needed in order to fly the fighter out of the atmosphere.

  The wait for the pilot to exit the fighter craft was excruciating for Zirlo and Lars. They clung to the side of the pit just, and the winds were blowing so hard now that they were having trouble keep their balance and grips on the loose dirt they were holding onto. If the pilot didn’t hurry up they were going to end up at the bottom of the pit along with the crashed cart.

  “What the hell is taking the bastard so long?” Lars said to the air. He was incredibly impatient now and wanted to get off the planet.

  “Have patience my friend. We have gotten this far. We don’t want to screw it up now. This is the only chance we will probably ever get, so let’s make the best of it. If we get caught, I can guarantee the Emperor will most likely have us killed and made an example of or he will stick us back in that cell to rot.”

  It was hard to mask his disgust when he saw Zirlo give him a reassuring grin. “I know. We are just close,” Lars said, as the sound of movement from up above drew his attention away from Zirlo. “Quick, get down!”

  The pilot had finally exited the fighter and was running towards a building that was set about 100 yards away. Lars popped his head up and scanned the area to see if there were any other guards milling around. He couldn’t see very far because of the storm, but from what he could see, the coast was clear. He reached down to tap Zirlo who had been keeping watch out over the pit where the interest in the fallen cart was slowly coming to an end. He looked back at Zirlo, who gave one last look to where Carel and his men were now standing, and ran quickly behind him.

  The winds on top of the pit were much stronger than Zirlo had anticipated, and his strength was just about gone from having to cling to the walls of the pit for so long. He suddenly felt a hand on the collar of his shirt and he was being lifted up over the edge onto the landing pad.

  “Move your ass old man!” Lars shouted into his face.

  Zirlo struggled to get to his feet, as Lars continued to tug him along to the fighter that was sitting empty, waiting to be stolen. Both of the men had to put their hands in front of their eyes in order to try and block the sting of the tiny fragments of dirt that the wind was hurtling through the air. The storm was turning into something fierce, and Zirlo was now starting to worry that they would make it the fighter only to die in the attempt to take off.

  The men fought the raging winds one step at a time and finally came to stand within arm’s reach of the fighter’s door. Zirlo leaned against the fighter as Lars pulled out an access panel near the door and began to pull out wires.

  “You’ve got to try and block some of the wind,” Lars shouted above the roar of the winds. “I can’t see what I am doing! Use your shirt or something!”

  Zirlo immediately stripped off his shirt and went to stand behind Lars. He put the sh
irt just over Lars’ head and pressed the sides tight against the side of the fighter, trying to make a small tent around his head. He had to lean his head down and into Lars’ back as the pelting grains of dirt and sand began to sting his bare skin like insect bites.

  From underneath the shirt, Lars ripped several wires loose from the inside of the panel. He desperately sought out the two wires that he would need to strip the ends off of, and then twist together. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any kind of tools with him, so he would have to use his teeth in order to strip the wires of their protective outer coating. It wouldn’t be the first time he had to use his teeth to steal a ship or a vehicle. He had done it quite a few times when he was a just a kid.

  A small hiss escaped from the door of the fighter as it popped open. Zirlo immediately dropped the shirt and pushed the door the rest of the way open as he dove into the fighter, with Lars close behind. Neither one of them wasted any time relaxing, they could relax when the fighter was clear of the planet and on its way to Theron or the planet of one of Theron’s closest allies.

  Lars rushed to the front of the fighter and took the pilot seat that would allow him complete control of the ship. Zirlo stumbled into the seat next to him with a huge grin plastered across his face.

  “We made it!”

  Flipping switches and turning knobs as fast as he could, Lars replied, “Not yet we haven’t! We still have to take off in this bitch of a storm. It’s going to take both of us to maintain control as we take off. If the winds grab hold of the wings at just the right angle on takeoff, we are dead. Drylon fighters are not built as well as ours are. Get ready to take hold of the steering shaft.” The roar of the fighter’s engine grew louder as the power within its engines came to life. The control panel in front of them was now lit up and fully operational.