by Gun Brooke
Via the scope, she saw that a couple of the lower-level execs that looked like younger versions of Kragh and Drak had gotten to their feet and were rounding the bikes to join their superiors. Beaux aimed for the leg of one of them, a skinny young man with the same disdainful look as Kragh. She pressed the trigger and saw him be tossed back a few meters and land hard. Clutching his leg, he cried out.
Kragh didn’t even look at his subordinate. He instead kept scanning the cave openings with the ocular. Uncertain if she had given away their position, Beaux fired again before the men had the chance to act. This time, she let her hatred for the two men in charge play a part, and she placed a projectile in Drak’s left shoulder. If they were behind the assassination attempt on her and Zac’s murder—and no matter what, they were in charge, which made them ultimately responsible—this was payback.
“Argh!” Drak staggered backward but surprisingly remained on his feet.
“Get the jet-blaster,” Kragh said, and even though he wasn’t using the amplifier, Beaux had no problems hearing him, which she was sure was his intention.
“What’s a jet-blaster?” Moon asked, peering over the edge of the rock in front of them.
“Bad news. It’s a cannon of sorts, but it can fire ten projectiles the size of my head in less than two or three seconds. If they shoot that thing in here, the ceiling may cave in on us all.”
“Mff-sh.”
Beaux thought the sound came from Dancer and looked over her shoulder, but instead, two of the elders stood behind them, well out of sight of Ilienta’s people.
“What’s going on?” Moon asked, slipping over to Dancer.
Beaux listened to them but had to focus on what was happening down in the clearing. The people had placed several bikes between them and the caves, working on setting up the jet-blaster. She could try to shoot the parts of them she occasionally glimpsed, but even Drak and Kragh were taking cover now.
“Lestarion to Veyar,” she murmured next to the long-range communicator. “What’s your ETA?”
“Another five minutes, sir.” Veyar sounded as frustrated as Beaux was feeling.
“Ilienta brought a jet-blaster,” Beaux said darkly.
“That’s a clear violation of the contract. They weren’t allowed to bring anything more powerful than rifles and sidearms,” Veyar said.
“Not to mention that they intend to shoot straight into the caves, and I have no idea how to stop them before you reach us. Jet-blasters come with their own shielding, and though I’ve wounded two of their men, enough of them are left to fire that thing.”
“Hold on, Cap,” Nia said, her voice stark. “We’ll be with you, and we’ll take them out if we have to set down on their heads.”
Beaux had to smile, despite their situation. “Hurry. Stay on the open channel.”
“Aye, sir,” Veyar said.
“Beaux. They’re insisting on showing us something.” Moon tugged at Beaux’s sleeve. “I’ve no clue what they mean, and I think even Dancer is struggling to understand, but they’re pointing at the walls. You know, the parts I told you about that looks like blue-green glass?”
“All right. Well, we have perhaps half a minute, so whatever they’re thinking, it needs to be fast.” Beaux crouched until she was out of sight of the opening. Rising to her feet, she looked at the two elders, who seemed far too serene, considering they had to realize that they were in grave danger. “Dancer. Ask them to please hurry to show us before the people outside fire their damn cannon.”
Dancer merely nudged his nose to one of the elders, who walked over to the wall, where he placed his paw against the shiny surface. Beaux looked on, barely able to concentrate as she expected the jet-blaster to launch its deadly projectiles at any moment. Then the material on the cave wall began to glow, turning aqua, then paled to almost white. A humming, low and barely audible at first, started to fill the air around them. Beaux sent Moon a glance and saw the amazement on her face.
“What the…” Beaux said but had to take a step to the side when the sound grew in intensity. Next to her, Moon dropped to her knees and pressed her palms to her temples. The elder stopped using his claws against the wall and uttered a set of sounds aimed at Dancer.
Dancer had already sat down next to Moon, pressing his nose against her neck. Now he scowled at the elder but then seemed to understand. He raised his paw and placed it against Moon’s ear. When Moon merely looked him in confusion, he repeated the maneuver.
“What?” Moon seemed dazed, and even if Beaux felt affected by the sound the elder had conjured up, she was concerned about Moon’s strong reaction. Dancer pushed at Moon’s ear a third time, making a rolling sound in the back of his throat. Not a growl but sounding like a warning just the same.
“What do you mean, Dancer?” Beaux cast a glance toward the opening of the cave before she knelt next to Moon. They were almost ready, placing the shield around the jet-blaster.
Dancer placed his paw against Beaux’s ear, and now she thought she understood. “The sound from the wall, we have to cover our ears?”
Dancer pushed twice against Moon’s ear now. “I think he might mean we need to do more than cover our ears. We need earplugs.” Moon shook her head as if to clear her mind. “That really got to me.”
“I’ll say. Good thing I have military-grade plugs in my kit.” Hurrying, Beaux pulled a small pouch from her breast pocket and dug out two sets of earplugs. “But what about them?” She pressed the plugs into her ear canals and made sure Moon put hers in correctly.
“They seemed unaffected,” Moon said, and even though her voice was muted, Beaux could still make out her words.
The elder nudged Beaux with his nose, pushing her to the side. Beaux sat down where she could still see out through the opening and pulled Moon down with her.
“Will the sound really reach all the way outside to affect them?” Moon asked, trembling.
“I hope so.” Thinking fast, Beaux reached out and grabbed the communicator. “Change of plans. Just trust me on this one. Don earplugs, everyone, when you approach our location. I’m turning off the communicator now, just to be safe. Lestarion out.”
More of the grown creatures joined them and turned to face the walls. They raised their paws to the wall and began sweeping back and forth. At first, the humming was beautiful, but as the color of the glass-like surface began to shine and light up from within, the sound waves pulsated. Low, fast, the sound rumbled through the cave and out the opening.
Beaux held Moon tight to her, pressing her head against her chest, and covered her other ear with her hand. Over Moon’s shoulder, she saw the people outside getting ready and aiming toward the caves. Despite the earplugs, Beaux grew nauseous and had to swallow hard, repeatedly. She felt, more than heard, Moon whimper against her and held her even closer.
Outside, the two men who had sat down on the seats behind the jet-blaster’s consoles started rubbing their temples. Next to them, Kragh looked up in alarm. He stared through his ocular but clearly couldn’t see into the dark caves. Suddenly he threw his instrument onto the ground.
One of the jet-blaster operators fell sideways, pressing his hands against his ears. A few others had begun to stagger away from the clearing, toward the forest. Drak showed up from behind one of the bikes, and Beaux saw the vehicle began to kick up dust. Kragh was yelling something, judging from his wide-open mouth, but Drak merely shook his head and began to mount the bike. A few other of the men tried the same way to escape the no doubt excruciating sound but fell over before they reached the bikes.
Kragh seemed determined to fire the weapon. He crawled over to the console and began punching in commands. Beaux pressed her face into Moon’s hair. There was so much she still didn’t know about this woman, so much she had wanted to at least get a chance to tell Moon about herself, and now a greedy bastard would kill them. Pressing her lips against the top of Moon’s head, she ran her thumb against her damp temple.
Moon looked up, squinting and obvi
ously in pain. She kept her gaze locked with Beaux’s as she ran her fingertips along her lips. Beaux caught Moon’s slender, strong hand and pressed her lips hard against the cold fingertips.
A roar pushed through the protection of the earplugs, but Beaux didn’t recognize it as the propulsion system of a landing shuttle. She saw the creatures around her slow their graceful movements and tilt their heads in the direction of the clearing. Outside, a large shadow darkened the clearing, and most of the people from Ilienta were gone, even though most of the bikes were still there. When she was certain the sound from the walls had dissipated, Beaux pulled out her earplugs and opened the communicator. “Veyar, is that you?”
“Captain?” Veyar sounded nonplussed.
“Outside, I hear, well, a sort of engine.” Beaux crept toward the opening, unsure what she was hearing. Grabbing her rifle, Beaux stood just inside the opening, carefully leaning forward to see what could be causing the sound and a large, strangely billowing shadow. Moon and Dancer joined her, and as Beaux and Moon peered outside, she wasn’t sure who gasped at the extraordinary sight before them.
Chapter Twenty-two
Moon grabbed Beaux’s arm with her free hand. With the other, she clutched her sidearm hard as she stared at the vision before them. At least eight meters tall and casting a shadow across the entire clearing and the cave openings, three beings stood to the right of them. With translucent skin, although it didn’t look like normal skin at all, they seemed to glow with much the same colors as the cave walls. The air around them vibrated, like the air above the ground on a hot summer day. Their faces were triangular, with huge black eyes that looked wet, as if they regarded the world through water. Long, flat ribbons that appeared to be made of the same sort of tissue as their bodies extended from their skulls, like hair. Narrowing at the glowing tips, they seemed to float, or almost be alive, as they moved independently.
“What are these?” Beaux whispered, lowering her rifle, perhaps involuntarily.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen them before—and I’ve seen many exotic creatures on my hikes.” Moon sent Dancer a glance and flinched. Her friend was on his belly, his nose pressed to his front paws. A quick look over her shoulder showed the elders doing the same. A movement to her left proved that Dancer’s kind in the other caves were coming to the openings and bowing as well. “Look. Should we—I don’t know—kneel?”
Beaux didn’t take her eyes off the three beings. “Guess it can’t hurt.” She went down on one knee, and Moon did the same.
Moon stayed in this position for a few moments, but then a movement down in the clearing made her look up. A pale, white-haired man had crawled up to the jet-blaster. Kragh. Where had he been hiding to reach it so fast? Beaux had now spotted him as well and stood, taking aim.
“Kragh! Don’t be an idiot,” she called out, standing well within sight. “You don’t know anything about these creatures.”
“But I do.” Kragh spoke loudly and with such obvious triumph, it scared Moon. “Had I known this would be all it took to summon them, I’d have started over here directly. But no matter.” He swung the jet-blaster toward the billowing, shimmering beings.
“What the—he’s been after them? How could he—?” Fury radiating off Beaux in waves, she pushed off the cave wall and began running.
Taken aback, Moon took a moment to collect her bearings and then followed Beaux down the steep path. Behind her, Dancer had clearly abandoned his reverent bow and was tearing downhill. As they neared Kragh where he sat, his fingers ready on the console, Beaux raised her rifle. Not sure what the setting of her rifle was, Moon guessed that a shot from the powerful weapon at this distance would kill the Ilienta exec.
“Step away from the jet-blaster,” Beaux growled. Looking formidable where she stood like a golden-haired vengeful goddess, she was obviously ready to shoot.
“I think not.” Kragh’s soft, low voice grated on Moon’s nerves. She still remembered being held at gunpoint earlier, and seeing the man threaten what looked like Haven’s deities sent barbs of hatred through her entire system.
Kragh began moving his fingers, and the nozzle of the jet-blaster slowly turned orange, like a dull fire. Beaux took a few steps closer, her fingers on the trigger sensors.
“Last chance,” Beaux whispered huskily.
A new sound, whirring and humming, made Moon look up. The being in the middle was approaching, and from this angle, Moon could see the high cheekbones that created such sharp planes in the creature’s face. Thin lips were pulled back, showing sharp, stark-white teeth. Its neck was long and able to twist in a way impossible for a human. The legs were bent like an animal’s, with elbows rather than knees, but the long, slender arms looked human, with hands and long, transparent fingers.
The being stopped close enough that Moon had to look almost straight up to see all of it. As it moved its arms in slow circles, creating intricate patterns, the sound grew. Dancer whimpered next to Moon but remained on his feet.
“You better step away from the blaster,” Beaux said to Kragh through clenched teeth. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
“I need only one sample. I would’ve settled for some of the matter on the cave walls this time around, but a sample of its tissues will give me what I need to convince the Cimerian government about a full colonization.” Chuckling, Kragh waved his hand in a circle in the air. “And I think you need to drop the rifle unless you want to die on this planet.”
Moon snapped her head around and saw some of the men who had fled only a few moments ago standing by the tree line, aiming at them. The presence of the beings and the sound they were making had masked their return.
“You’re a fool, Kragh,” Beaux said and lowered the rifle marginally.
“You’re entitled to your opinion, no matter how misguided it is.” Kragh punched in more commands. “You might want to stand back. This could get messy.” He flipped a lever, and the jet-blaster rose to aim at the thin belly of the being.
“No…” Moon whispered. Dancer was growling now, and he seemed ready to launch.
Another roar, this time more familiar, made them all jump, and Kragh looked up, for once losing his modest demeanor. Moon never would have thought she’d be so relieved to see one of the Empress’s shuttles hover above her. The downdraft sent gravel and dust whirling. Kragh had to hold on to the jet-blaster’s console, and Beaux went down on her knee again to steady herself against the turbulence, with Kragh still in her sights.
The creatures pulled back, all three moving their hands in even more delicate patterns. Just behind them, the ground began to shift, and an opening formed. They were retreating. “Hurry.” Moon knelt next to Dancer, who was howling. “Get out of here.”
Kragh fired the jet-blaster. The projectile pierced the dust and debris, and a fraction of a second later it dug into the hip of the creature to the left. The screech filling the air echoed through the caves as Dancer’s kind responded as one. Dancer slumped next to Moon, gasping for air as tears rose in his eyes.
“No. Dancer!” Moon pulled him close, watching in horror as he trembled and then went limp. “Dancer!”
Around her, wires lowered men and women from the shuttle. Moon didn’t care. She couldn’t care about anything but Dancer. She couldn’t even see if he was breathing.
* * *
Beaux stared in horror at the wounded being. Aqua-colored fluid, as transparent as the creature itself, streamed down its leg, and it staggered, close to falling over. Behind Beaux, Moon’s fearful cry stole her attention, and looking back, she saw that Dancer was down.
“No, no, no, no. Breathe.” Moon sobbed. “Breathe, please, Dancer.”
Around them her crew was taking up defensive positions, and when some directed their weapons against the wounded being, Beaux yelled, “No! Apprehend Kragh. Neutralize his men. Now!” She looked for Kragh and couldn’t see him. Dust still whirled, but she could tell from the disappearing wires that the pilot was taking the shuttle up. Coug
hing because of the dust, Beaux knelt next to Moon. “How is he? What’s wrong with him?”
“I don’t know. I…he…when Kragh fired the jet-blaster and hit the creature, Dancer just collapsed.” Tears flowed down Moon’s cheeks as she held her friend tight.
“Here, girl. Let me take a look.” Doc’s voice interrupted them as she got down on her knees as well. Dressed in combat gear, the lanky doctor looked even more fearless than usual. She pressed a scanner against Dancer’s chest. “He’s breathing, but it’s shallow. He’s not dead yet. Let’s move him to my scuttle.”
Beaux realized that the crew had indeed followed procedure, even if she couldn’t fathom how fast they must have worked and outfitted a scuttle with medical equipment.
“I’ll take him, Moon.” Tracks showed up, his face stark with anger. “And then I’m going to find that sniveling—” He stopped talking and lifted Dancer, carrying him toward the center of the clearing.
Moon stood motionless. Beaux stepped closer and cupped Moon’s cheek in her hand, wiping at the tears with her thumb. “Go with him. I’ll come find you later.” Barely realizing her own actions, she bent and pressed her lips against Moon’s in a brief kiss. “All right?”
“Yes,” Moon whispered and placed her hand against Beaux’s for a moment. The gesture stole Beaux’s breath.
“It’s going down!” A voice she recognized as Somas’s made Beaux rise and look for him.
Somas stood dangerously close to the three creatures, two of them increasing the sound they made with their gestures. The injured one was crumpling and falling, the impact shaking the ground. A pale figure appeared close to it, carrying what looked like a medical cannister.
“Somas!” Beaux ran toward him. “Kragh! There!” She pointed at the Ilienta exec, and Somas joined her from his end.