Forsaken Planet

by Rinelle Grey

  Folly stared at him. An unwilling image of Brent’s face flashed in front of her mind and she winced.

  Kerit continued without waiting for a response. “We’d been going out for a couple of months and I really thought we had something special. I actually invited her home to meet my family. That’s when things started to go wrong.”

  “What happened?” Folly asked, interested in spite of herself.

  “Well, nothing right then. We had a nice night, everyone seemed to get on well, and then we went home. It was a week later, when I had a phone call from her brother offering me a job in his accounting firm, that I began to get suspicious. I declined politely, saying I already had a job, but he was pushy, offering me more money.”

  Folly guessed what was coming next. “She’d talked to him?”

  Kerit nodded. “Apparently. The conversation ended with him saying his sister would never marry a penniless surfer, and me saying thank goodness, because I had no interest in being with someone who was only interested in money.”

  “Good choice.” Folly nodded approvingly. “But it seems a bit dramatic to claim that put you off girls for life. Surely they weren’t all like that?”

  He shrugged. “No, of course not. But I haven’t yet met one who didn’t suggest that I should be taking her to see a movie or making her breakfast in bed instead of practicing surfing. And I haven’t met one that’s made me want to either.”

  “And yet, you apparently gave all that up to follow your brother to the other end of the galaxy?” Folly was sceptical. It just wasn’t adding up.

  He sighed. “Yeah, I’m not quite sure on that myself. It all started innocently enough. My brother asked me to keep an eye on his girlfriend while he was off on a mission for the Space Force. Coming to the other planet in this system actually. Then when they arrested Marlee and tried to abort her unborn baby, I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.”

  Folly’s eyes opened wide. “Did you bust her out of jail?” Maybe Kerit had more guts than she thought.

  “No, I wish. She’d already escaped by the time I even heard about it. Saw it on the news actually. And hidden so well that I couldn’t find her. But when Tyris got back and we went looking for her, and the government were going to arrest all the other women who were hiding with her, well, I was right there. Yes, they offered me a pardon, and I could have stayed and pretended none of it had happened, but…” He trailed off. Then shrugged again. “Besides, I figured there were more oceans in the universe. This one is a lot less crowded than the ones on Urslat. And I figure that crater is going to make a wicked bar.”

  Folly stared at him. It still made no sense. And yet, at the same time, it made perfect sense and fitted with who Kerit was. Laid back, go with the flow until someone threatened those near and dear to him.

  A real sweetie.

  She shook her head. She needed to stop thinking that way.

  “So what about you?” Kerit’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

  “Me?”

  “Yeah. I’ve told you my story. It’s your turn.”

  Folly held up a hand, shaking her head. “I don’t remember agreeing to that.”

  She so didn’t want to tell him her miserable sob story.

  His face turned serious. “That’s true. You don’t have to tell me.” He held out a hand to her. “How about we go for a walk instead? I really would love to see that water again.”

  Damn. Why did he have to do that? She sighed and let him take her hand, scooping up Chicken and depositing her on her shoulder, then following him towards the incline. It was far easier to object when she could tell herself he was being unfair. When he was being nice, she suddenly wanted to tell him.

  Maybe she should just tell him. Then he’d understand and then maybe back off. That would be better for both of them.

  They scrambled up the slope. By the time they reached the top, Folly was just as eager to see the water as Kerit was. The sun hung low, only its own height above the water, and the sky glowed orange, fading into blue up above them. Chicken half hid under her hair, staring out at the water.

  For some reason, perhaps because of their earlier topic, the sight didn’t elevate her mood. She stared out across the expanse of water, Kerit’s hand in hers, but she wasn’t seeing it, she was remembering the past.

  “I was seventeen,” she said quietly.

  Kerit turned to look at her and didn’t say anything, just squeezed her hand encouragingly.

  She took a deep breath and continued. “Brent asked me out. I was pretty surprised, since I had no real friends my own age, much less boyfriends. Surprised enough that I said yes. I didn’t even object when he suggested we go to the glow caves where the glow worms are. You’re not allowed to take lights there, as it can disturb them, so not many people go there, although I knew that a lot of teenagers snuck down there to get some alone time. I figured he must really like me for some reason.”

  “He’d be stupid if he didn’t,” Kerit interrupted her.

  She gave a half smile but shook her head depreciatingly. “Well, that wasn’t what it was about. He didn’t even want to talk, just started trying to take my shirt off. When I objected, he said…” Her voice broke. She would have thought, after all these years, it would have stopped hurting.

  Apparently not.

  She glanced up at Kerit, and he was looking at her, his face earnest. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realise… you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

  She shook her head. Somehow, now, she had to tell him. Had to say the words out loud and have someone hear them. It was a risk—a risk that he might agree with Brent’s assessment of the situation. But if he did, it was better to find out now than later.

  “He said that the only reason anyone would ever want me was for sex, and that if I wasn’t going to give that out, then I’d be alone.” The memory flooded back. Of how shocked she’d been and how much it had hurt, the realisation that that was how he saw her. But in that moment, she’d found strength too.

  “I’m so sorry,” Kerit said softly. “No one should ever have said that to you, because it’s not true.”

  Folly straightened her shoulders. “It doesn’t matter. I didn’t need him, and I don’t need anyone else either. I do just fine on my own.”

  “Being alone is fine, if that’s what you really want. But it’s not the only option.”

  “Right. And what happened to ‘I don’t date’? Suddenly changed your mind?”

  He was just like Brent, and all the other boys she’d turned down after that experience. Well, not just like them. He was older and wiser and had taken the time to talk to her and get to know her. But underneath all that, he just wanted one thing. He’d made up the fact that he didn’t date, just to get her to let her guard down. To convince her that he really did care, when all he wanted was sex.

  “No, I… I just want us to be friends. I totally get why you don’t want to date, and that’s fine. I’d never try to convince you to do anything you don’t want to do. I’m just saying that not everyone is like Brent.”

  Folly pulled her hand out of his and crossed her arms. “Are you saying that you don’t want to sleep with me then? I’m not good enough for you?”

  “Of course not! That’s not what I meant. I’m saying that I wouldn’t try to trick you into something, or tell you it was the only reason I cared about you. I admire you as a person, whether anything ever happens between us or not.”

  A part of her couldn’t help but be warmed by his words. He admired her. For more than just sex.

  But a part of her couldn’t believe it. There was too much risk. It was too scary.

  What if he was lying?

  “Well, it doesn’t matter. I’m not interested. So stop trying to be sweet and nice and convince me otherwise. We made a deal—you help me get into the city, and I’ll show you the caves. You’ve done your part, and tomorrow, once your brother picks us up, I’ll show you the caves. What you do after that is your business.”


  “What did I say to upset you?” Kerit asked, his voice completely bewildered.

  Folly hardened her heart. “Nothing. I’m just not interested. That’s life.” She turned and began to walk down the side of the crater. She needed to get away, to not have this conversation any more, before she got soft and changed her mind.

  Chicken made soft chittering sounds and began to shiver, picking up on Folly’s distress.

  “Folly, wait!” Kerit called out after her.

  She heard him scrambling on the rocky edge behind her and walked on, ignoring him.

  There was a whooshing sound overhead, and Chicken screeched, her claws digging into Folly’s skin, shaking so much she almost fell off her shoulder. Folly turned, her heart thudding in her chest, just in time to see the alien standing on the wall of the crater, between her and Kerit.

  “Run,” Kerit mouthed at her.

  His warning was a sensible one, she should run. It hadn’t seen her. But she didn’t. She looked around for anything, a decent sized rock to throw at it. Even if it just distracted the creature, it might give Kerit enough time to escape.

  She crouched and reached for a rock, keeping an eye on the alien, making sure it wasn’t aware of her. The sunlight glinted off its armour as it moved towards Kerit. Folly threw a fist sized rock, knowing even as she did so that it had no chance of even hurting it, much less doing anything.

  The rock bounced off its armour and it didn’t even turn. It took another step towards Kerit, and its wings extended as it grabbed him by the shoulders with its hands. A strong wind rushed over Folly as it took off, taking Kerit with it.

  “No!” Folly ran forwards, reaching for Kerit’s feet, but they dangled just out of reach. She was too late. She ran, stumbling over the uneven ground, but they quickly pulled away from her.

  Folly could do nothing but watch as it flew off towards the city, Kerit’s body struggling in its claws.

  Chapter 11

  Folly stood, staring after Kerit in shock for a few moments. It had all happened so quickly, it was hard to take in. One moment, they’d been arguing on the edge of the crater, the next Kerit was in the air and out of reach.

  Her mouth went dry just imagining what the alien might want with Kerit. Best case scenario, he wanted a way into that ship. She had to keep hoping that was what it was. Because that meant there was a chance.

  She half ran, half slid down the slope, then scrambled to the radio. As she neared their camp, she heard Kerit’s alarm buzzing. How long had it been going off? How late were they?

  She wound the handle furiously, watching the light for any sign of life. It seemed to take forever for the LED to flicker and then glow steadily, but in reality, it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds.

  Folly grabbed the radio with one hand and kept turning with the other. “Tyris? Are you there?”

  He had to be there. He just had to. She needed an eye in the sky right now.

  “What the hell happened?”

  Folly almost wilted in relief at the immediate response, even though Tyris’s voice was furious. “You’re ten minutes past your check in, and I’ve been waiting for twenty minutes to tell you that alien was coming. Where’s Kerit?”

  Couldn’t he tell? “The alien took him,” Folly blurted out. “It flew away with him. Couldn’t you see that?”

  For a moment, she had a fear that his scanner was somehow broken, or that the alien had found some way to hide its life sign. Tyris’s next comment reassured her.

  “I couldn’t tell. Everyone was too close together. I hoped both of you had escaped.” His voice sounded hollow. “There was nothing I could do. I could see it, on the scanners, coming closer and closer, but you didn’t check in!”

  “I couldn’t do anything either, even though I was standing right there,” Folly said quietly. “It all happened so fast.”

  Tears started in her eyes. She should never have said all those things. What if it was the last time she ever saw him?

  She took a deep breath. She couldn’t cry now. There wasn’t time. “Where are they heading? Back to the shuttle?”

  There was moment’s pause, then Tyris confirmed. “Back to the shuttle, yes. At least that’s close to the edge of the city. But I can’t land the Resolution until morning. That could be too late.”

  “It’s better that way anyway,” Folly said. “Landing your ship is too risky. There’s no way the alien will miss a ship that size. Kerit thinks it’s the ship it wants and that makes sense, seeing as it seems to be stuck here. If that’s the case, it’d love to see your ship even more.”

  “Let it try,” Tyris growled.

  “Right, and just how are you going to stop it?” Folly demanded. “Do you have any weapons?”

  Even as she uttered the words, she was hoping he would say yes. Kerit had said that the ship didn’t have weapons, but maybe some of the people did?

  Tyris’s heavy sigh dispelled the last of her hopes. “No, none. We’re on a peaceful mission, we didn’t think we’d need them. Not that the government would have let us take any.”

  “Then attracting the alien’s attention is the last thing we want. You can’t defeat this thing, it has armour strong enough to hold off any makeshift weapon. Our best bet is if I can sneak in and get to Kerit while it’s not looking.”

  The chances were slim. The thing had super hearing and could move far faster than she could. But she had to try.

  “I can’t let you go on your own,” Tyris objected. “He’s my brother and my responsibility. I should be the one going.”

  Hmm, perhaps the brothers did have something in common after all. She could just imagine Kerit saying the same thing. “Look, do you want to argue over who should be the one to go or get moving on the plan that has the best chance of getting your brother out of this alive?”

  “I can’t just sit here and do nothing!” Tyris’s voice was laced with frustration.

  “You can watch what’s happening down here, guide me in the right direction and let me know if anything changes,” Folly pointed out. “That information could be the difference between success and failure.”

  “Only if you have the radio on. Otherwise, it’s just enough to drive me crazy.”

  “It won’t leave my side,” Folly promised. “Now which direction do I go in?”

  She grabbed the two backpacks, silencing the alarm and tucking it into a pocket, then walked with the radio and Tyris’s guidance for long enough to be sure she was going in the right direction, then disconnected, promising to check back in in half an hour.

  The sun sank quickly, leaving the city shrouded in darkness. It was cooler now, at least. She made good time without Kerit and his twisted ankle slowing her down, but it would still take her several hours to cross the city again, back to her starting place.

  Even though Folly tucked Chicken safely in her deepest pocket, the little creatures shivers didn’t stop, and she kept up her nervous chittering. Folly hoped she stopped when they neared the alien. She couldn’t risk them being heard.

  Half an hour later, just as the moon was rising, she checked in with Tyris. “Are they still moving?”

  “No, they’ve stopped at the shuttle, just like you guessed.”

  “Both of them?” She had to ask. The last half hour had been filled with fears that she would arrive too late.

  “Both of them,” Tyris confirmed. “They’re just sitting there, not doing anything. But you have to hurry, Folly. Soon enough, either Kerit is going to give that alien the code to the shuttle, or the alien is going to get tired of waiting.”

  As if she didn’t already know that.

  Chapter 12

  Kerit twisted furiously in the alien’s grip, but it was like a vice, clamped around his upper arms, almost cutting off circulation. He tried to reach his hand around to grasp at the things arms—perhaps he could find a chink in its armour—a weak spot.

  All he managed to do was dislodge his face mask. It dropped swiftly, and he didn’t
even hear it hit the ground. He swallowed and stopped struggling. Not only did it hurt his arms like crazy for no results, but he was high enough up that if he did manage to wriggle free, he was in even more trouble than he was now.

  All he could do was try to take deep breaths of the air that whistled past his face and hope that the alien wanted the shuttle, not dinner.

  The fact that he was still alive indicated that it probably just wanted the shuttle, not that it preferred its food still wriggling. Didn’t it?

  His eyes stung, and he had to close them. Probably best, watching the buildings skim below his feet was dizzying.

  Finally, he noticed a shift in their altitude, and opened his eyes to see the shuttle and the ground coming up fast. Kerit’s heart rate sped up. This was it. He braced himself for the impact, and the wind from the alien’s wings washed over him as it slowed, then placed him down on the ground almost gently.

  It even let go of him.

  Kerit stumbled away, turning to face the creature, bringing his fists up. As if he actually had a chance of defending himself. The creature didn’t move, but Kerit wasn’t fooled into thinking there was any way he could run fast enough to escape. He’d intentionally landed the shuttle in a clear spot where there was nothing he could run into. Unfortunately, that also meant there was nothing nearby he could hide behind.

  The alien watched him, its beady black eyes not even blinking. Kerit suppressed a shiver. He stealthily flexed his arms, still aching from the flight. But even though they still worked perfectly, and adrenalin flooded his veins, urging him to fight or run, he could come up with no possible escape plan.

  All he could do was count on the fact that every second of time he bought gave Tyris longer to land the Resolution and come and rescue him. By now, Folly would have radioed his brother, and Tyris would be on his way. He just had to sit tight.

  And not get eaten.

  He stared back at the alien. It just stared back. Kerit folded his arms, trying to hide the fact that they were shaking. He wasn’t going to be the one to make the next move. He could sit here and have a staring contest for the next hour if that’s what it wanted to do.