by Joyce Lavene
She had to assume that the freighter hadn't signaled before it was destroyed. But she knew help would be coming if they could just hold out until it got there.
Bryn, one of the steadier techs, came in with rain dripping off his hooded gear. He carried a bottle of water and drew a scanner from his pocket. "You're not gonna like this, Lieutenant."
"Then don't tell me." She groaned. "What now?"
"This water. The scanner shows dangerous levels of particulates in the rain we caught."
Gael glanced at him and he blushed slightly, his wet, dark bearded face looking uncomfortable. "I spent some time in an Enviro group on my world before I joined Guardsman. Enough to know poisoned water when I see it."
She took the bottle and the scanner from him. "Just enough to kill you slowly. Nothing quick...a week or two."
He nodded grimly. "That's what I thought."
"Poison."
They both looked at Fris who shook his head and turned back to the panel.
"We have to have water." Gael gritted her teeth. "Food we can manage for a while. We'll have to take our chances with the poison. The effects should be able to be reversed when help comes."
"Should we tell everyone?"
"Hold that." Gael replied as she put down her tools. "We don't all need to know about the water. Everyone's strung out enough as it is."
Bryn nodded grimly. He returned the scanner to his pocket, put his rain gear back on and went outside.
He didn't like her response. That was obvious. Gael considered that if help didn't come before the two weeks were up, poisoned water might be a blessing.
She worked with Fris silently again on the COM link. As quickly as it seemed that they should be able to transmit, another part burned out or shut down. Gael lay under the panel, patching, rewiring. She closed her eyes, hopelessly frustrated.
"Lieutenant?" Fris wondered if she was all right.
She looked up at him. "I think we should wait until the storm lifts. We aren't getting anywhere like this."
He agreed. "That could be what's causing the weak signal."
She looked at him doubtfully, catching herself as a stray thought passed through her. She found herself momentarily caught between their two forms. She saw herself, sitting beside him at the control panel. She was looking out of his eyes, thinking his thoughts. Who was she? Where was she from? He was afraid to ask such a personal question in the situation. She was attractive in a strict, pure boned fashion. The scar was --
Gael snapped upright suddenly, severing the wordless bond. Just what she needed, some damn psi stunts trashing what control she had of the situation. "I'm going out." Gael left the cruiser before she could receive anything further from him.
Chapter Sixteen
It was raining outside, not so hard as steady. The rain was warm in the twilight mist. Gael jammed her hands into the pockets of her rain gear, glaring out into the coming night.
What was wrong with her? Kat couldn't be affecting her. Yet she'd sat there with that young boy and known what it was to be him. She'd seen herself, her uniform dirty and torn at the sleeve, the deep frown between her eyes. Her hair needed trimming and just the few days of too little food was making her face look gaunt.
It was different than a mirror. There was an overlay of what Fris thought about her. There were body parts where she had never had them. She was acutely aware of a feeling of power that the boy saw in her.
She breathed in the wet air, walking around to the side of the cruiser where the water brigade was working. The rain fell harder and the ground began to squelch under her booted feet. A muddy, blood tinged face came up at her from the gloom, making her retreat a step. Her hand went to where her weapon should have been. Of course, there was nothing there. The weapon lay dead on the processor floor where she'd dropped it.
The man fell into her arms, catching desperately at her to keep from falling to the ground. "They're gone. They just left. I couldn't stop them." It was Bryn. He had a laser knife wound in his arm and his face was slashed.
He collapsed totally on her. She half dragged-half carried him to the cruiser. Fris ran to help her at the door. They removed his muddy clothes and wrapped him in blankets then cleaned his face and his shoulder. "Will he be alright?"
"It's not deep." Gael handed him the first aid kit. "Seal the wound. I'm going to check outside." She walked quickly, carefully, to the side of the cruiser.
There were tracks this time, leading away from the cruiser towards the open plateau that stretched out endlessly away from the mountains. They'd taken their gear and the water containers with them.
She cursed fluently, knowing there weren't enough words in any language to express her frustration. If it were just the six workers, she would say let them go and good riddance. But they needed those water containers. They were the only things that could hold water and there was no way of knowing when it would rain again.
Against her better judgment, she knew she would have to go after them. She broke the news to Fris and the other three workers in the cruiser. "We don't have much choice."
"Why? There wasn't enough food anyway."
The young man next to Fris nodded. "I agree. We can make what we have last longer without them here."
"We can't live very long without water," she reminded them all. "I don't care a damned bit what happens to them. But those containers were the only thing we could find that would hold water. If we knew that it rained everyday, that would be fine but none of us know the weather cycles here. It might not rain for another month."
Gael avoided Fris' knowing eyes. If it would do any good she'd tell them that the water was poisonous. Two weeks at the most. Nothing mattered after that --
Albert nodded. "I'll go with you, Lieutenant. We need those water 'olders."
"All right then. We'll keep two of us here. Fris and Bryn. Albert and Damie will come with me. That way if help does come, we'll be covered."
"I couldn't stop them." Bryn groaned and repeated, opening his eyes.
"You did what you could. We'll take care of the rest." She looked at the remaining four men. "We'll divide what's left of the food."
Gael and her group took all the provisions they could find that might be needed on the rugged terrain. With the cruiser for shelter and a moderate amount of energy in the batteries, Fris and Bryn would be better off than the group going out.
"I've got this beacon that I'm switching on...now." She turned the tiny monitor on. "Any tracer should be able to find it just about anywhere on the planet."
Fris nodded gravely. He'd never been charged with anyone else's life. "If they come, we'll find you, Lieutenant."
Gael and her group followed the first group's tracks across the plateau, the mist actually making their prints easier to find on the damp ground. They moved without speaking, each with their own thoughts. Night settled in swiftly bringing heavier drenching rain with it. They slept sparingly on a high rock pile, washing down a mouthful of food with a handful of rainwater.
Gael listened to the fitful groans and snoring of her companions, watching the rain drip off her heavy hood. The night wasn't cold but she shivered, pulling her knees up closer to her. She wrapped her arms around her stiff legs. She rested her head on her knees, exhausted, and closed her eyes.
Her dreams were full of color and flickering light. Someone was calling her but she couldn't find a way out of the whirlpool that threatened to pull her down into its depths. She opened her eyes and saw a dark form, silhouetted against the colors. "Kat? Is that you?" Kat?
There was no response. She felt the wild beating of wings within her and forced herself to concentrate. What was it that Kat had said about her dreams being important?
Kalatri Astri. She called his name in her mind and heard the echo along the tingling nerves in her body.
Gael?
She shivered, knowing the timbre and feel of his voice inside her, eagerly reaching out to him. There was a sound, like a faint chiming, in the wind. Slo
wly, it filled her mind, sweeping away the sound of his voice. She clung fiercely to Kat's energy, that feeling of his presence, trying with all her pent up frustration to call out to him again.
But she was alone on the rock face with daylight coming slowly over the horizon. She sighed as she faced the pale yellow sun climbing up the mountain peaks. Was Kat alive? Too inexperienced in the use of psi, she'd felt something. But was it Kat?
She awakened the men wearily, feeling their reluctance to give up that other world within herself. They decided against eating right away since there was only a mouthful of food left for each of them. The flooding of the night before had washed away any sign of tracks from the men they were following. Water had begun to collect in spots forming small pools between cracks in the rock formations. It was clear and cool as they drank it but there was nothing to fill their empty stomachs.
"I think we should head towards the mountains," Gael told the other two. "It's more likely that they would head for a distinguishable landmass than track around in circles down here."
Albert and Damie both nodded and followed her without a word. She could see by their eyes that they were almost beyond caring. They'd come along with her as something to pass the time until they died.
The day was threatening to be hot along the treeless plateau. The mountains would offer a cool relief and high ground in case of flooding. If they could make it. She didn't like the sound of surrender but there wasn't any realistic alternative. They could live without food for a while but even the most seasoned troops would resist heavy trekking into the mountains on an empty stomach. The water problem seemed to be solved, at least until the poison killed them. They needed help soon.
Menor! You could have someone on their way here now. We can't hold out here forever.
She refused to think about the two weeks she'd spent in the jungles of Quella or her partner's face as she'd died. At least there were no snakes on R-12. She stumbled after her companions.
The day dragged on interminably. The sun beat down with a vengeance forcing steam from most of the water left behind the day before. The plateau glittered in the fierce sunlight, blinding them as they moved like sleepwalkers, one foot in front of the other. They sat down wordlessly by the blue shade of a rock face and shared the last of the food, no more than a few morsels each. The two men dozed in the shade.
Gael couldn't keep still. She wandered the cliff side, wondering how long it would take for the planet to regain any use of its land. The soil was completely lifeless. The water, even though it had been stagnant, showed no signs of vegetation even in the sun. The air was clear. That was still a mystery to her.
At best, it should have taken weeks to clear the air on the planet but it probably would have been months. It had taken less than two days. But the water was affected. Once again, she was stopped by the oddity she felt about the mission and the world where they were stranded. Reaching up, she swung over a small ravine, grabbing at a rocky handhold for support. She didn't really notice where she went.
Suppose, she sorted through her thoughts, that there were people, a race, forgotten by everyone. It wasn't possible. All of her training told her that she was starving and desperate for answers. No one could have survived for a thousand years on that planet with the ore processor killing everything.
She started again. Suppose, somehow, a race had survived for all those long years on this planet. Central, ENDO, and ECHO had allowed mining, not knowing, possibly not caring. There was no denying that the synthetic fuel produced there was richer than most.
They'd sent in two agents whose one thing in common was a specialty in dealing with unknown races. Kat had said that he was communicating, in a way, with someone or something. If there had been survivors there, they would be angry, possibly hostile towards all of them.
It was difficult for her to equate hostility and those tapestries she'd seen that had been found in the caves on this world. Was it the same race? Unfortunately, she was running out of time and there were still too many questions and not enough answers. She re-crossed the ravine and glanced down into the rushing clear water that filled the ragged drop.
She saw the first group of men from the cruiser. Water containers were still around their necks. They floated, facing the sky, in a shallow pool of water formed by two immense boulders. Their bodies were bloated and bluish colored. Their eyes were open and empty.
She counted them. It was all six workers. It was possible they'd been washed into deep floodwater during the storm the night before. She sat down on the edge of the rocky precipice and concentrated, trying to form a clear picture of what she was doing, what she was going to do.
Twenty years of training shored her up. There was a dogged pragmatism to her nature that refused to be bested, refused to believe that there wasn't an answer to their dilemma. She had to face the hard facts. The six crewmen were dead. It was probably true that Kat and the other ten from the processor were dead as well. Only wishful thinking had put him in your dreams last night.
Gael liked Kat. She found him attractive. He was --
Her mind strayed and she pulled it back. Unless she began to understand what was going on, she wasn't going to live to find anyone or anything attractive again. She was alive, along with four others but there was no food. There was enough water to survive. System damage would be minimal from the particulates if they came in time. Even if it took two weeks for Encom to get someone there, they should be able to survive that long. They'd have to hike back to the cruiser, try and sleep as much as possible until help came.
She felt the dulling of her senses. Lack of sleep, food, and exposure was working against her. She got up and circled back to where she'd left the two men by the rock face. It was possible they could still go down the rocks and retrieve the water bottles before going back. The idea was practical, if repugnant, but their need for the containers hadn't diminished.
Albert cried when he saw the dead men. Damie merely nodded then stared off out at the mountains for long minutes.
"We havta take 'em back, Lieutenant." Albert said finally. "Can't leave 'em there."
Damie looked at Gael and nodded. "I'd want you to take me back. We can't leave them here. It wouldn't be right."
Despite Gael's reluctance, they ended up hauling the six bodies out of the water and up the rocky incline. It was back breaking work. The bodies were heavy and awkward. They tied the bodies together. It was the only way Gael could think of to get them back across the rugged ground. It took the combined efforts of the three of them to pull their weight wrapped in thin waterproof jackets.
Albert was silent but tears ran down his rough face. He didn't look back. He didn't look at Gael or Damie.
Gael trudged between them, too exhausted to think. The sun cooled and darkened to night. Still they walked, pulling their burden behind them through the mud, over stone.
Damie broke down just in sight of the cruiser. He fell on the wet ground sobbing, pleading with someone to kill him and get it over with.
Albert continued to walk, not noticing or caring that he'd left the other man behind. His shoulder muscles strained with the extra burden.
"I'll send someone back," Gael promised, her voice raspy. "Stay here, Damie."
The cruiser lights came on dimly and someone shouted as they came nearer.
"It's them," Fris yelled back to Bryn.
Gael didn't hear a reply but concentrated on pulling her weight the full measure. When she didn't think she could move another muscle, she felt Fris pulling at her arm.
"Let go, Lieutenant. That's far enough." He unlocked her stiff hands from the rope.
Albert had fallen to the ground, not crying or speaking. He stared at the cruiser, his hands still on the ropes that were dark with his own blood.
"Damie." Gael ground out harshly. "We lost him back there."
"Is he -- ?"
"No, he's alive. Just -- "
"I'll find him. Stay here." Fris was gone only a few minutes but Gael and
Albert had both lost consciousness before he returned.
Chapter Seventeen
Bryn went back with Fris again at daylight but there was no sign of Damie.
Gael fought the voice that called her, the hand that shook her painful shoulder. But the call to consciousness was persistent.
"Lieutenant." Fris shook her again.
She groaned and reluctantly opened her eyes. Sunlight dimly reached her through the open doorway. Every part of her body was raw and strained. She groaned and closed her eyes again when she remembered why.
"Are you all right? Can you stand?" Fris leaned down close to her.
"Is she dead?" Bryn asked Fris, looking at her.
"Unfortunately, I don't think so." Gael opened her eyes and looked at them.
"You've been out all night and some of the day." Bryn told her in an anxious voice.
Gael reached hard within herself for some reserve of command strength that she hoped was left to her. "I'm all right." She tried to sit up.
Bryn reached to help her. She stifled the anguish that came to her lips as she moved, every muscle on fire. She was inside the cruiser on the floor, a jacket covering her. "What's happened?"
"You collapsed. We brought you in here. Albert was here but he left during the night."
"We couldn't find Damie," Fris added quickly. "And now Albert's gone too."
Gael got to her feet slowly, her head pounding. "We have to look for them. They might be wandering around out there, out of their heads. We have to stay together."
They searched. The sun came up slowly, weakly. They stayed within sight distance of each other easily on the flat surface of the plateau. But there was no sign of Damie or Albert. The men were gone.
Gael continued to search, calling their names until she was hoarse but there was no reply and no sign of them. Nothing was left behind. There were no tracks in the mud that led away from the rocks. It was as if they'd never existed. She felt giddy at first, lightheaded. It was like being in a bad dream. People didn't just vanish. Yet they were gone with no explanation, like Kat and the first ten workers from the processing plant.