by Henry Vogel
“I’m not so much worried for him as for the problems he’s going to cause for us.” With my free hand, I massaged my temples. “After Marn’s attack, Arktu will have the whole section on alert and will summon more robots to patrol the area. It’s going to make it almost impossible for us to slip past Arktu unnoticed. And it won’t take Arktu long to figure out where we’re going and set up ambushes along the way.”
As familiar as Lilla was with Arktu’s methods, I was surprised she hadn’t figured this out on her own. Perhaps she was still reeling after her near rape by two of Smith’s men or maybe the whole situation was overwhelming her. Whatever the reason, I wasn’t going to voice my surprise. All things considered, she deserved time to come to grips with it all.
Lilla looked at me in surprise. “You’re planning to go back down in the elevator and follow the route to the command place?”
“The bridge. Yes.”
“Why, Nancy?”
Maybe Lilla was suffering more than I thought. “Because I’ve got to get to the bridge to shut down Arktu, honey.”
“Yeah, I know that.” Damned if the girl didn’t roll her eyes at me like I was stupid or something. Then Lilla raised the data pad she’d been playing around with. “Display a map of our location and the shortest route to the bridge.”
She turned the pad so I could see the display. A wilderness map covered three-quarters of the screen, with the leftmost quarter showing a map of corridors. A red line traced across the wilderness to an arrow pointing both up and down—no doubt an elevator. From there, the red line traced through corridors to the bridge.
Lilla pointed toward one end of the ship. “It looks like we go that way.”
“I’ll be damned. I never even thought of this approach.” Obviously, the girl standing before me wasn’t the one turned stupid by everything we’d been through. I grinned at Lilla. “Smart thinking, young lady. We’ll make an officer out of you yet.”
Lilla flushed with pride at the compliment. Meanwhile, Sko leaned in close to study the pad’s display screen.
“This is amazing, Lilla, but it’s very small and hard to see,” he said.
“Just say ‘zoom in on my location’ and it’ll get bigger.”
Sko took the pad from me and repeated Lilla’s words. His eyebrows arched in surprise and the spark of interest ignited in his eyes. Looking at Lilla, he said, “You must teach me how to use this thing.”
“Lessons while we walk, people,” I said. “We’ve only got a few hours of light left and I don’t want to be near the nomad camp when it gets dark.”
It didn’t take long for Lilla to show Sko how to control the pad. Soon, he was scrolling around the map, planning our path and muttering about details and the best way to avoid nomad pursuit. As a result, we left the direct route shown on the pad and waded through shallow streams, hiked across rock-strewn fields hopping from rock to rock, and generally did other stuff to utterly exhaust a rocket jockey like me. Sko, on the other hand, looked as if he could keep this pace up forever. During one break, while I lay gasping on the ground, he even slipped off and shot a couple of rabbits for dinner.
Finally, as dusk settled across the ship, Sko called a halt. “I’ve camped here many times on hunting trips. There aren’t any big predators in the area, there’s fresh water for drinking, and even a warm pool beyond those bushes.”
Sko cleaned the rabbits while Lilla and I gathered dry wood. Once Sko had a smokeless fire burning and rabbits cooking, I plucked at the sweat stained jumpsuit I’d been wearing for three days.
“So I can take a bath and wash my clothes?”
Sko didn’t quite meet my eyes. “Yes, my Captain. It’s one reason I chose this place for our camp.”
“You’re my hero.” I rose up on the balls of my feet and kissed his cheek. Lowering myself, I let my hand trace down Sko’s arm, clasped his hand, and then let it fall as I turned toward the bushes. “I’ll just be over there. In the pool. Bathing.”
Sko watched me go. Lilla watched Sko watch me go. Both were still watching when I pushed between the bushes and lost sight of them.
A small pool, maybe eight meters across, lay before me. The ground around it was sandy, as was the bottom of the pool. Peeling off my sticky jumpsuit, I wondered how something as perfect as this pool could have formed. Then I remembered I was on a generation ship, not in a real wilderness. Millennia ago, some nature lover on the design staff put this pool here for just this reason.
The water was pleasantly cool on my body as I waded into it up to my thighs. I cupped some water and rubbed it on my face. Then I dove in, swam a short way, and then surfaced, treading water.
As I shook wet hair out of my eyes, I heard a sound behind me. I turned to see Sko emerge from the bushes.
“Lilla says I’m an idiot and that you wanted me to come with you,” he said, hands tentatively reaching for the ties fastening his shirt.
I smiled. “Lilla is a very smart girl.”
When Sko and I pushed back through the bushes and back into our camp, Lilla sat before the small fire gnawing on some of the cooked rabbit. Her eyes danced in the flickering firelight and she wore a smugly satisfied expression.
“Told you she wanted you to go with her,” she said to Sko around a mouthful of rabbit. She switched her gaze to me. “Left to yourselves, the two of you would still be trying to figure out how you felt about each other.”
“Yes, Lilla, you’re a genius.” I reached for a spit holding one of the rabbits and met the girl’s eyes. “Now shut up.”
A delighted laugh rose from deep within Lilla. She leaned back and began rolling back and forth cackling like an evil witch in a fairy tale. Sko looked at me, shrugged, and pulled a rabbit haunch off the spit. For some reason, the girl found that even more hilarious and laughed all the harder.
Eventually, our stomachs full and Lilla laughed out, I offered to watch over the girl while she bathed. For some reason, this set off another round of giggles, but Lilla took me up on the offer. While we were at the pool, Sko used the data pad’s map to plan our route for the next day. Then, with Sko and me alternating on watch, we got some sleep.
We made an early start the next morning, setting off just past first light. As before, Sko led us through the most difficult terrain in an effort to make sure no one from the nomad camp could pick up our trail. Long before lunch, I was covered in sweat and my legs burned with the unaccustomed exertion. When we finally stopped for lunch next to a stream, I simply collapsed to the ground and lay there gasping.
With disgusting grace and an apparent lack of effort, Sko settled to his knees next to me. His strong hands kneaded my thighs and calves, working the tightness and knots from the muscles. Meanwhile, Lilla pulled out leftover rabbit and got fresh water from the stream.
Watching the two of them moving effortlessly, I glared white-hot death at them. “You realize that I hate both of you right now.”
Instead of burning to a crisp under my death gaze, Sko and Lilla just laughed. It sounded all innocent, but I felt sure both laughs held sadistic undertones. Smiling, Lilla casually sank to her knees opposite Sko, lifted my head, and gave me a drink of cool, wonderful water. Then she popped a piece of rabbit meat into my mouth.
Patting my head, she said, “Remember to chew it up really good before you swallow, Nancy.”
Growling, I sat up and took the rabbit and water from Lilla and started feeding myself. When I did, Sko stopped massaging my legs and reached for some of the rabbit.
“Did I tell you that you could stop, Sko?” I demanded.
“No, my Captain,” Sko said through a wide grin, “but I’m sure even you recognize that your devoted servants must maintain their strength so they can serve you to the best of their ability.”
I gave a magnanimous wave of my hand, allowing him to continue eating. “Aren’t we far enough from the nomads that we can stop trying to hide our trail? I mean, they don’t know we came this way and probably have a lot better things to do than co
me after us. And that’s assuming Marn didn’t get all of his men killed storming the dormitory armed with bows and arrows.”
“They also had the blaster and laser Marn took from me,” Sko added.
“Okay, so they probably did some damage when they first stormed into the dormitory but once Smith and his people joined the fight, things probably went from bad to worse for Marn very quickly.”
“You make a compelling argument, my Captain. After this break, I will take easier and more direct routes to the elevator we’re looking for.”
Sko proved true to his word and my whole body was grateful. Even taking the easier path, I didn’t complain when Sko found another perfect spot to camp and called an early halt to our march.
As with the previous night’s camp, this one was designed to be the perfect camping spot. Shade trees surrounded a flat, grassy area just right for sleeping. Another pool, this time with a smooth, rocky bottom, was separated from the main camp by a small mound topped with short evergreen trees.
I desperately wanted nothing more than to strip off my sweaty clothes and relax in the pool with Sko, but Lilla was just as grimy as I was and didn’t deserve to wait around for the adults to finish…relaxing. “You can have the first bath, young lady. Come on, I’ll keep watch while you get cleaned up.”
Lilla crossed her arms, canted her hips, and gave me a cross look. “Why do you get Sko both nights? Isn’t it my turn to ‘relax’ with him?”
My mouth fell open. “Uh, honey, it’s…Um…”
At the same time, Sko’s eyes bugged out and his face turned bright crimson. “Lilla, that’s uh…You see, um…”
Lilla suddenly dissolved into a fit of laughter and gasped, “That…was…perfect! You should see your faces.”
I did my best to glare at the girl and failed miserably. “You almost gave Sko a heart attack, Lilla.”
Sko chimed in, grinning, “And I don’t believe I’ve ever seen Nancy at such a loss for words. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Smiling broadly, Lilla sashayed toward the pool. Just before slipping between the trees, she looked over her shoulder in a coquettish manner. “You’ll never know what you missed, Sko.”
As I headed after her, Sko muttered, “May the Captain watch over the body and soul of the young man who captures that girl’s heart.”
I laughed. “Yes, that young man will have his hands full with Lilla—much to his delight.”
“I have no doubt of that, my Captain.”
By the time Lilla finished in the pool, Sko had a couple of fresh-caught birds roasting over a fire. Lilla settled down next to the fire and gave Sko and me an imperious wave.
“Go bathe and…whatever.”
To my surprise, Sko not only did not blush, he scooped me up in his arms and carried me toward the pool. “Well, if you insist, Lilla.”
Much later and much relaxed, Sko and I returned to the camp fire. Slipping through the trees, we both stopped short at the scene before us.
Lilla sat beside the fire, holding a partially eaten wing in one hand. Her other hand held her blaster trained on Raal, the young man from the nomad camp.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
A New Ally
“Look what I found skulking around our camp!” Lilla exclaimed brightly. She turned a glare on the boy at the business end of her blaster. “Of course, he might have snuck up and captured me if he hadn’t found certain…sounds…coming from the pool so interesting.”
Sko and I exchanged startled looks, our cheeks reddening at the thought of what Raal saw. Lilla laughed and waved the hand holding the bird wing in a placating manner.
“Don’t worry, Raal stepped on a stick long before he could get a look through the trees. He didn’t see you two.” The blonde girl grinned mischievously around another bite of bird wing. “But we both sure heard plenty. It sounded like you two relaxed three or four times. Feeling better, are we?”
I felt it was time to regain control of the conversation. “That’s enough of that, young lady. You do realize it’s impolite to listen in to other people’s private…conversation.”
It was a lame finish to a lame attempt to chastise Lilla and she knew it. “I could have stuck my fingers in my ears and sung ‘la la la la la’ but then sneaky-boy could have run off.” The girl heaved a dramatic sigh. “So, Raal and I had no choice but to be impolite.” Lilla shifted her amused gaze back to the boy. “Nancy, your, um, discussion with Sko had a really interesting effect on Raal—despite having a blaster trained on him.”
Raal’s blushed furiously and looked down, drawing a giggle from Lilla.
“Lilla!” Sko’s voice cracked like a whip. “That is enough. A little teasing and joking is one thing, but you have gone far beyond that. Stop this foolishness at once.”
Lilla’s eyes flew wide and her jaw dropped open. I found myself gaping at Sko, too.
“I’m sorry, Sko,” Lilla said, dropping her eyes to the fire before her. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“I know you didn’t, Lilla.” Sko’s tone softened but remained reproachful. “You have a good heart, but sometimes you get too caught up with amusing yourself and don’t think of the feelings of those around you. Do you understand?”
Lilla nodded her head. “I’ll try not to do it again.”
“Good.” Sko smiled warmly at the girl. “Once you finish your apologies, we won’t speak of this incident again.”
Lilla lifted her head and solemnly met my gaze. “I’m sorry I embarrassed you, Nancy. You know I’d never hurt you on purpose.”
I also met Lilla’s apology with a smile. “You’re forgiven.”
A relieved smile spread across Lilla’s face and she pointed us to the roasting bird. “Grab something to eat. It’s really good.”
I started forward, only to find Sko holding me back. He looked back and forth between Lilla and Raal, his meaning clear.
“You want me to apologize to him?” Lilla asked, incredulous.
“You embarrassed him, as well,” Sko replied, sternness creeping back into his voice.
“But he followed us and snuck up on us. Why should I be polite to him?”
“Did you ask him why he followed us?”
“Um, no.”
Sko released my hand, crossed his arms, and gave Lilla a meaningful look.
Lilla looked at Raal. “Sorry I embarrassed you.”
The boy met her gaze briefly before quickly looking away. “That’s okay. Boys joke like that all the time.”
“There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Sko asked, not expecting an answer.
He and I settled before the fire. Sko pulled one of the skewers off the fire and offered some meat to me. He surprised Raal by giving him some before pulling a breast off for himself. Before he could take a bite, Lilla leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek then rested her head on his chest.
Sko’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but he wrapped an arm around the girl and gave her a hug. “What was that for, Lilla?”
“You reminded me of my father. I haven’t thought about him in a long, long time but all of a sudden I miss him terribly.”
“Don’t you worry,” Sko said, gently kissing her blonde head. “Once Nancy gets this Arktu thing settled, we will find your village and your parents. You and Milla, both.”
“Um, sir?” Raal spoke up.
All three of us turned our attention to the boy and Sko asked, “Yes, Raal?”
“That’s why I came looking for you. Because of that Arktu person, I mean—not about returning Lilla to her village.” Raal smiled at Lilla in the friendly manner boys his age smile at pretty girls Lilla’s age. “Not that I wouldn’t do everything I could to return her to her village, sir, because I would. Or I’d help you return her.”
Lilla stared at the boy as if seeing him for the first time. Sko merely nodded as if Raal’s statement was nothing unexpected, then said, “But back to Arktu?”
Raal tore his gaz
e from Lilla and looked back and forth between Sko and me. “Arktu knows where you’re going and Marn is taking the men from our camp to capture you for Arktu.”
“Wait a minute,” I interrupted, “are you saying Marn is working with Arktu now? How is that even possible?”
“I don’t know all of it because I was being punished for getting caught by you. But I overheard a lot of the talk. Marn led the men to attack Arktu and get back the children the servants took a few days ago. Instead of fighting, Arktu traded the children for Marn’s help capturing you three.” Raal looked at me before looking at the ground as if ashamed of this next bit. “You were nice to me when you caught me outside the moving room. I won’t help you fight my people, but I don’t want you turned over to Arktu and the dirty guy who works with him.”
“What dirty guy?” I asked, truly puzzled.
“Maybe I’m getting his name wrong, but Marn called him ‘dirt in smith’ or something like that.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that and made a mental note to try it out on Smith if I ever saw him again. “You mean Dustin Smith.”
Raal nodded, “Yeah, that’s it. Anyway, Marn and the men ran ahead to catch you at the door to another moving room. I wasn’t allowed to go, but snuck out and followed. I lost Marn’s trail, but then I picked yours up a few hours ago.”
Right after I asked Sko to stop taking the hard route. And a good thing, too, if Raal’s story was true. We’d have walked right into Marn’s ambush otherwise.
Something suddenly occurred to me. “Wait, how does Arktu know where we want to go?”
“I couldn’t really follow that part.” Raal’s face screwed up as he tried to remember something. “Marn said it had something to do with a quilt. Even he wasn’t sure about it.”
“A quilt?” I turned a look of complete incomprehension toward Sko. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
Lilla suddenly sat up in excitement. “Oh! Did they say anything about reading a map on the quilt?”
Raal nodded.
Lilla bounced in excitement. “Nancy, quilts are padded. Arktu meant the data pad but Marn doesn’t know what that is.”