Star Rider and Bonds of Love: A Sci-Fi Space Opera with a Touch of Fantasy

by Heidi Skarie

  Zac set his empty flask down. “A few of us could go after nightfall and bring water back for the group.” Everyone around him agreed.

  “I don’t advise it, but I don’t suppose anyone wants to go for days without water,” Benray said.

  In the middle of the night, Zac climbed out of the sinkhole. He stood still letting his eyes adjust to the moonlight and listening for any sound that might indicate Cadmus’ men were close by. The air felt fresh after being in the stuffy cave, which was beginning to smell from so many people being stuffed into a small space.

  The only sound he heard was the hoot of an owl, but his nerves were as tight as a drawn bow ready to launch an arrow. He squatted at the edge of the hole and signaled to Benray to pass up the group’s three collapsible plastic two-and-a-half gallon water containers. Once the containers were up, he helped Benray and Richwood climb out of the hole.

  Benray stood as still as a statue for a moment, alert and listening. Then he led Zac and Richwood to the nearby mountain stream, walking quieter than Zac thought possible for such a large man. Kneeling by the gurgling brook, Zac dipped his cupped his hands into the cool water. He drank a few handfuls until he’d quenched his thirst, then he filled one of the containers and added a water purification tablet to it. He stood guard while the other two men finished filling their containers, then the small group carried the water back to their hiding place.

  While Richwood lowered down the water containers, Zac and Benray returned to the stream and used pine boughs to wipe away their footprints. They worked without talking, knowing Samrat scouts could be nearby searching for them.

  ***

  Queen Koriann walked out of the palace with Baymond in her arms. Arriving at the ocean shoreline, she laid a blanket on the sand and sat down, placing Baymond so he sat with his back against her leg for support. She handed him a rattle and he cooed as he clutched it in his hand and shook it.

  Her heart always lightened when she played with the baby. It took her mind off the deep dread and anxiety she felt for Erling and the others. Day after day she waited for news. Koriann put her hands on her belly, wondering for the hundredth time if her baby would be born without a father.

  She heard footsteps and looked up to see Captain Orneil approaching. He squatted down beside her. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, your Majesty, but I finally received an electronic message from a Resistance member on Alandra.”

  Koriann’s chest tightened, fearing the worse. “What did they report?”

  “The message was from a person with the code name Aurora—I assume, a woman. She didn’t know about the rescue mission ahead of time or take part in it. She lives in Tismus and heard the explosion when the Resistance broke into a nearby concentration camp. Aurora said many prisoners ran out of the camp. Some were killed in the escape attempt; others were rounded up and returned to the camp. A few escaped.

  “Aurora went into the forest where she’d met contacts from the Resistance a few times in the past. She found the remains of two blown-up spacecraft and the bodies of six Resistance members there. She didn’t find the leader, Slick, among the dead. Slick is Jake Renheart’s code name. Aurora thought it was possible some Resistance members escaped into the forest, though it’s also possible they were arrested and imprisoned.”

  “Are you sure she said all the dead were Resistance members and not civilians?” Queen Koriann asked.

  “It was a short encrypted message and that was how the encoder interpreted it. We know little more than we did before. It’s possible Erling, his family and the others made it to the Jaiparian ships, but found them destroyed and were forced to hide in the wilderness.”

  Koriann stared out at the ocean. “I wish I knew for sure. This uncertainty is the hardest part. Not knowing if Erling and the others are alive.”

  “We could send a team to Alandra and try to extract them.”

  Hope rose for a moment, then faded. “We wouldn’t even know where to start looking for them.” Her throat tightened as a wave of sorrow swept over her. “Still it’s worth sending a couple of undercover operatives in to see what intelligence they turn up.”

  “There is something else.”

  “Why don’t you sit down?” She gestured to an open space on the blanket.

  The captain sat down and smiled at Baymond. “Do you might if I hold the baby? He reminds me of my boys when they were little.”

  “Go ahead.”

  Captain Orneil picked up Baymond. The baby babbled and reached out to grab the captain’s beard. “He’s a fine, healthy-looking boy. Have you given thought of what will happen to him if his parents don’t make it back?”

  “I hate to even think that way, but he hasn’t any relatives that I know of, so I’d raise him as my own. I’ve already become quite attached to him. What else did you want to tell me?”

  “We’ve watched King Zanton’s movements closely, but he’s not imprisoned and still has ways of sending and receiving electronic messages. We’ve gone through some of his communications and discovered he’s been corresponding with someone in the domed city of Henotaux on the moon Devil’s Eye. This was in the months before Toemeka was kidnapped and during the time she was there. We further discovered that he is now corresponding with someone in Tismus, Jelmur on planet Alandra. We suspect he’s in contact with Commander Rochambeau.”

  “I want him questioned. I want to know everything he knows and he’s not to have any further communication with anyone outside his palace. He’s dangerous and has ties with Samrat Condor. That monster should be imprisoned. If Erling wasn’t so opposed to breaking his word to Zanton, he’d already be behind bars.”

  “Imprisoning him could cause a war with Haklute. It might be better to keep decoding the messages. If we succeed, we might find out more from his messages than we would by questioning him.”

  Her lips tightened. She wanted to hurt Zanton for all the harm that poisonous snake had done, but there was wisdom in Captain Orneil’s advice. “All right, we’ll wait, but if they don’t break the code soon, we’ll break Zanton.”

  “Agreed.” He handed her the baby. “Thanks for letting me hold Baymond. If I hear anymore from Aurora, I’ll contact you immediately.” He rose and headed back to the palace.

  Koriann watched him walk away, wondering if she’d end up adopting the sweet baby she held in her arms. How did Toemeka have the fortitude to leave her precious child? Koriann didn’t think she’d be able to leave her baby once it was born.

  ***

  Toemeka went over to Jake and redressed his shoulder wound. “I don’t like the looks of your wound,” she said. “It’s red and swollen. Down by the stream, I saw an herb called caffray that can be boiled into a tea to help you get your strength back. I’m sure if I looked, I can also find some lamder that would help your shoulder wound heal faster.”

  “How do you know so much about herbs?”

  “When I lived with Erling’s family, Najetta taught me and showed me how to find them in the woods near Tismus. These woods are part of the same ancient forest and have some of the same plants.”

  “I remember when you lived with the Fenians. I liked having you right next door to my parent’s home.”

  “That was years ago.”

  “But it was only a little over a year ago that we were together.”

  “We’ve both moved on. There’s no point in bringing up the past.”

  “I suppose you’re right. Did I hear there’s a stream nearby? I’d like to go and clean up. I’m sweaty.”

  “You’re not strong enough to walk and the cold water will shock your system. I’ll heat some water for you to wash with.” She poured water from a water skin into the clay bowl they’d eaten out of and heated it over the center fire. When it was warm, Jake washed his face and hands, then went back to sleep.

  He slept fitfully and his complexion became flushed. Toemeka put her hand on his forehead; it felt burning hot. She waited for Michio and Erling to return, so she could gather the herbs for
Jake. When they still hadn’t appeared by that afternoon, she decided she couldn’t wait any longer. She’d seen men die from infections like Jake’s during her years with the Coalition. The sooner she treated him, the better.

  She put on her jacket, slid the rifle strap over her shoulder, then picked up the water jug and leather bag. Stepping out of the teepee, she saw Kumaroo sitting near the central fire. He stared at her with frightening intensity and she quickly looked away. His eyes haunted her as she headed into the woods in a different direction than the stream.

  She went a fair distance, then doubled back, going to the stream by a different route, in the hopes that Kumaroo wouldn’t know where she was headed. On the way she gathered some caffray, lamder, berries and roots to eat. She put them all in the leather bag. At the river’s edge, she filled the jug with water, then washed the roots.

  Toemeka heard a soft shuffle behind her, then Kumaroo’s reflection appeared in the water. She shrieked and dropped the herbs. Whirling around, she sprang to her feet and faced him, embarrassed at her startled reaction to his unexpected presence. His dark blue eyes were like gazing into a deep lake. He looked like an alien creature with his unusual tattooed, blue skin and the ring through his wide nostrils.

  She guardedly watched for his next move. His expression reflected desire, not violence. Knowing he might miconstru her bold gaze,she lowered her eyes and pulled up her hood. She wondered how to avoid offending him, potentially causing trouble with the tribe. The rifle lay on the ground, but she stifled the urge to grab it. Surely, he didn’t mean her any harm.

  Needing to get back to camp to tend to Jake, she took a step to the side to move around him. He grasped her shoulder, held her in place and pushed the hood off her head. Her stomach tightened. His dirty hand was enormous with short, broken fingernails. With his other hand, he titled her head up, so she was forced to look at him. She felt like a child for the top of her head didn’t even reach his shoulders. His muscular chest reminded her of a broad tree trunk and his arms of thick branches.

  He pointed to himself and smiled, exposing crooked, yellow teeth. “Kumaroo.”

  “Kumaroo,” Toemeka repeated hesitantly. “I’m Toemeka.” She pointed to herself.

  “Toe-me-ka.”

  She smiled. “That’s right. Do you want to be friends?”

  “Toe-me-ka.” He pointed to her. “Kumaroo.” He pointed to himself. “Bah-nay.” He put his two thumbs together.

  Toemeka stared at him, not sure what he was getting at. He pulled out a large hunting knife. She gasped and took a stumbling step backwards, too shocked to scream for help. He grasped her wrist and brought the knife down toward her hand. Terrified, she tried to wrench it away.

  He hauled her against his chest, ignoring her frantic struggle to escape, and lightly sliced the hard steel across her thumb. Blood poured from the wound onto her skirt. Still holding her, he drew the knife across his own thumb, then placed his bleeding thumb against hers. Toemeka felt light-headed and the ground tilted. Kumaroo swung her into his arms, carrying her to the stream. He waded into the water and lowered her bleeding hand into its cooling depths. Transfixed, she stared at the blood from both their thumbs mixing together, reddening the water.

  “Bah-nay.” He carried her to shore, set her on her feet, then slipped the knife back into its sheath. Toemeka felt an overwhelming sense of relief that he wasn’t planning to kill her.

  “Kumaroo — Toemeka,” he said. He untied her jacket.

  “No!” Toemeka held her jacket shut.

  Kumaroo frowned and put his two thumbs together. “Bah-nay.”

  Toemeka picked up the heavy rifle and pointed it at him. Kumaroo looked at her with a surprised expression, making no attempt to stop her. After snatching up the jug and leather bag, she backed away from him, then turned and fled back to camp. She didn’t stop running until she reached the teepee and was safely inside.

  Her thumb still bleed profusely. She washed off the blood using water from the jug, then tied a piece of leather around it, using her uninjured hand and teeth. She then set to work building up the fire and boiling the roots and herbs, glad that Jake was still asleep and unable to see how upset she was.

  While waiting for the pot to boil, she sat down on a fur, breathed deeply while gazing obliquely into her spiritual eye and softly chanted HU. Calmer, Toemeka made a poultice out of the lamder and laid it on Jake’s shoulder wound. He woke up and she gave him some caffray tea to drink, then she sponged him off, removing toxins he’d sweated out.

  Jake made a half-hearted attempt to flirt while she bathed and ministered to him. When she remained unresponsive and withdrawn, he gave up.

  After tending to Jake, Toemeka laid down to nap, but when she closed her eyes she saw Kumaroo. Thoughts she’d been holding at bay rose to the surface. Why did Kumaroo cut my thumb and place it against his? Was it some type of ceremony? What does he want from me? She felt unnerved, knowing Kumaroo was probably watching her teepee. The remembrance of his sharp blue eyes tormented her. Finally fatigue won over her troubled thoughts and she fell asleep.

  Toemeka awoke to the sound of Erling and Michio talking softly. She checked on Jake and was relieved to discover his fever had gone down. Afterwards, she sat by the fire next to Michio. “Jake’s doing better. How did your talk with the chief go?”

  “It went well. They’re willing to help us. After talking to him, we went scouting to see where Commander Rochambeau and his men are. It appears they’ve temporarily lost our trail. I’m sorry we were gone so long.” He picked up a bowl of stew from beside the fire. “I’m sure you’re hungry. Have some stew.” Michio handed her a spoon.

  As Toemeka began eating, Michio asked, “How did you cut your thumb?” His eyes traveled from the makeshift bandage on her thumb to the the blood stains on her skirt.

  Toemeka felt the color drain from her face.

  He frowned. “What’s wrong? While scouting, I felt your fear. I hurried back as fast as I could and was relieved to find you safely napping.”

  “I had to leave the teepee — Jake’s fever spiked and I needed to gather some medicinal herbs. While I was at the stream, Kumaroo accosted me.”

  Michio’s brow wrinkled into a worried frown. “In what way?”

  She related her encounter with Kumaroo and her concern that it was some kind of ritual.

  “We shouldn’t have left you for so long,” Michio said, drawing her into his arms.

  “It sounds like a marriage ceremony,” Erling said. “Should I wake Jake and ask?”

  “No, let him sleep,” Michio said. “We’ll find out soon enough. Toemeka and I should probably leave in the morning.”

  “I agree,” Toemeka said. “I don’t want any more trouble with Kumaroo.”

  During the night, Jake became feverish again and Toemeka stayed up most of the night tending to him. In the early morning hours she was nodding off to sleep sitting up, when she heard an eerie animal cry. Instantly alert, she wondered if it was a bashe.

  She checked Jake and discovered he was still hot and feverish. She treated him again, using the last of the herbs. As much as she wanted to leave the camp that day, she knew she couldn’t leave Jake while he still needed her care. Instead, she and Michio would have to go into the woods and gather more herbs.

  Erling and Michio had gone to sleep as soon as it got dark. Michio had been up most of the previous night and she was glad he finally slept. Tired, she lay beside him, but couldn’t relax. She suspected Erling was right about the ceremony. Kumaroo probably thought she belonged to him now and might even try to stop her from leaving camp.

  When the first rays of dawn lightened the teepee, she woke Michio. “Jake’s worse. I need to gather more herbs down by the river. Maybe we can gather them together and return before Kumaroo awakens.”

  “I could go alone,” Michio said, sitting up.

  “Do you know what caffray and lamder look like?”

  He shook his head with a worried frown. “Unfortunate
ly, no.”

  “Then you can’t pick them alone.”

  Once Michio got dressed, she pulled up her jacket hood and stepped through the door. Kumaroo was sitting by the fire and his eyes seemed to bore into her. She stepped back into the teepee, feeling shaken.

  “What is it?” Michio asked.

  “Kumaroo is watching our teepee.”

  “I’ll go first. Stay close to me.” Michio swung the rifle over his shoulder as he stepped outside. Toemeka kept her eyes fixed on the ground ahead of her until they were in the woods.

  She soon found the caffray, but it took longer to find and gather the lamder. Once procured, she washed them in the stream as Michio kept guard. When they started following the trail back to camp, Kumaroo stepped into the path before them. Toemeka’s heart constricted as she fought down panic and the instinct to run. Michio stepped protectively in front of her.

  Kumaroo pointed at Toemeka. “Bah-nay,” he said.

  “Toemeka’s mine,” Michio said pointing to himself.

  Kumaroo’s eyes filled with fury. He pulled out a large knife and shook it at Michio and said something in Owayan, then stormed off in the direction of camp.

  24

  The Fight

  The warriors had gathered, were talking in loud, excited voices when Toemeka and Michio reached camp. Erling wore a worried frown and Jake was fever flushed as the two men came over to them.

  “Kumaroo claims Toemeka is his by the rules of the Owayan culture,” Jake said. “That ritual Kumaroo performed at the stream means he and Toemeka’s blood are mixed and they share the water of life.”

  “I was afraid of that,” Michio said.

  “I warned you about Kumaroo’s interest in Toemeka,” Jake said. “In the Owayan culture, a man can claim another man’s woman. If her current husband objects, he has to fight for her.”

  The natives closed in around them. Kumaroo pushed the hood off Toemeka’s head and grabbed a fistful of her hair. As Michio moved to stop him, two natives seized him.

  Kumaroo said a few words in Owayan, which Jake translated. “He says the woman is his.”