Star Alliance (12 page)

“You mean to only wound them?” Ma’jasalax asked.

“I only need to wound them. We don’t have the arsenal to destroy all of them. We’ll ratchet up the pressure and see how they respond,” Kladomaor said.

*****

Mar Arden disembarked from the transport ship that had taken him from Selebus to Nerva. It seemed his agents had been unable to silence the vid of the research facility on Selebus that exposed the truth of the Xiiginn activity there. He was surprised by how fast Nershal unrest was spreading. Perhaps the Nershals weren’t as weak as he had originally thought. The younger generation clamored for the chance to use more advanced technology by serving aboard some of the Xiiginn ships. Initially it had been the elder Nershals who had posed the greatest risk to the Xiiginn interests here, but like any species, they had just needed the right push.

A comms signal was relayed to him from Selebus that had Kandra Rene’s identification associated with it. Mar Arden accepted the signal. “What’s the status with the Human?” Mar Arden asked.

“He continues to resist us. I’ve sent him to the pit to soften his resolve,” Kandra Rene said.

Mar Arden frowned. “If he dies, that will reflect poorly on you.”

“I’m operating from within the restrictions you put in place. You’ve forbidden me to attempt our more aggressive interrogation techniques, and he seems to be able to resist compulsion,” Kandra Rene said.

“Understood. I will remove you from the project then—” Mar Arden began.

“Don’t do that. I allowed the Human to reconnect with his Nershal companion in the pit, and then I took the Nershal back into custody. Since there are no restrictions on what I can do to the Nershal, I should have more information about the Human shortly. There is a bond between the Nershal and the Human, which I plan to exploit,” Kandra Rene said.

Mar Arden rubbed his fingers together in thought. “Interesting. Keep me informed of your progress,” he said, and closed the connection.

The right amount of pressure always yielded results. That was why he was here at Nerva. When properly motivated, he had no doubt that Kandra Rene was up to the task of extracting the information they needed from the Human.
 

He crossed the landing pad to a vehicle that would take him to Nerva’s global congress. He was scheduled to address the allegations brought forth in light of the investigation being conducted against the Xiiginns. Mar Arden climbed into the Nershal vehicle specially marked for him as the ranking ambassador for the Xiiginns. He would make them listen. The Nershals weren’t as independent as they had once been, and it would be time for them to face that fact sooner rather than later. Mar Arden nodded for the pilot to leave.
 

In addition to dealing with the Nershal unrest, Mar Arden had to keep in mind that the Humans were important to the Boxans and therefore also warranted his full attention. He would find the Boxans in this system. It was only a matter of time.
 

C
HAPTER
T
WELVE

Z
ACK
FLED
THE
feeding area. The Xiiginns had taken Etanu because of him. What were they going to do to him? He and the Nershal weren’t the best of friends, and sometimes he suspected Etanu didn’t like him very much, but he didn’t want anything bad to happen to the Nershal. They needed to work together.

Zack sprinted toward the middle of the pit, and after a few moments the sounds of the hunters’ pursuit faded. Like most of the planet Selebus, the pit was actually in the middle of a forest. The Xiiginns must have chosen this area for its remote location, but the only way he could know for sure was to get beyond the walls. Zack glanced around, trying to decide which way to go. He couldn’t go back the way he’d come or the hunters would get him. The giant mutant had gone in the direction Zack was heading, and he definitely wanted to avoid that creature. He glanced at the PDA strapped to his wrist. He needed to fix it, and in order to do that, he needed to find someplace safe to work on it.
 

Whenever he thought of being stuck out in the pit alone, he felt his chest tighten with the constant need to look over his shoulder. How was he going to survive in this place without Etanu? He had no survival skills to speak of. Once again he found himself stuck in a situation that would be better handled by someone like Dale Hicks. The Air Force Major was accomplished in all of this stuff. Zack tried to think of what Hicks or Katie would do if they were in his shoes.

Zack slowed down to a walk, thinking he wanted to avoid blundering into another group of bloodthirsty mutants, for starters.
That isn’t right
, Zack corrected himself.
The mutants are prisoners here just as much as I am.
 

Some of the mutants were severely deformed, leaving Zack to wonder why the Xiiginns were doing any of this. Kladomaor had said the Xiiginns were always looking to advance themselves beyond any other species they came across. At the time Zack had thought the Boxan was only referring to technological advancement, but given what he’d witnessed, perhaps the Xiiginns’ obsession with advancement extended to biological endeavors as well. He didn’t have Emma’s expertise in biology, but why else would the Xiiginns be genetically altering the Nershals if it didn’t serve them in some way?
 

Zack glanced over at some fallen trees and damaged brush—results of the giant mutant smashing its way through. Thoughts of the giant reminded Zack that the Xiiginns weren’t only researching Nershal genetics but the Boxans as well. If they were orchestrating those practices here, then what were they doing elsewhere? Zack was beginning to get a better understanding of why Kladomaor had been so driven to get the Athena out of there. If the Xiiginns made it to Earth, what would stop them from doing anything they wanted? Sure, Earth’s military would fight, but could they stand against the Xiiginns? Zack wasn’t sure, and he’d rather not be the one who told the Xiiginns about Earth. So far he’d been able to resist their attempts, but what would Etanu tell them? Zack pressed his lips together, thinking about all the conversations Etanu had been a part of, trying to gain some insight into what the Nershal knew about the crew of the Athena. Etanu didn’t know the location of Earth—hell, the Athena crew didn’t even know where they were in relation to Earth. Zack suspected the Boxans knew but hadn’t shared that information yet. But Etanu could be forced to tell the Xiiginns about the Athena’s crew.
 

Kaylan!
Zack thought. A surge of panic blazed through his core. Kladomaor was keen to keep her away from the Xiiginns because she had the Mardoxian potential. Even the Boxan AI that resided on the Athena had conveyed the importance of such a discovery. If Etanu revealed anything about Kaylan to the Xiiginns, they would know how important finding Earth was. The Xiiginns might even get it into their heads to use Zack as bait to draw the others here.

Zack glanced over at the tower. He was a good distance away from it. He swallowed and glanced up at the sky. It had been a few days. Was the crew even looking for him anymore?

Zack closed his eyes. He wanted his friends to come rescue him, and at the same time he felt guilty about it. He kicked at a fallen branch and glanced over at part of the gray walls that surrounded the pit. He couldn’t get out of here by himself, and he didn’t want his friends to risk coming to rescue him.
 

He tried to imagine what Katie Garcia was doing. Her thick, dark hair was likely tied back while she focused on whatever she was doing with rigid intensity. She had intended to protect him on the Xiiginn cruiser. He’d seen her fight on the spaceship with practiced efficiency. But when the catwalk had started to come down, he’d thrown himself at Kaylan to keep her from falling. It had all happened so fast. Then he’d kissed Kaylan when he thought he was dying. He hadn’t planned it. He had just acted without thinking. He cared about them both, and he didn’t want anything bad to happen to either of them.
 

During the time the Xiiginns had sedated him, he had periodically regained consciousness, and he’d thought he felt Kaylan there with him—not in the room, but somewhere close by. He’d had the same feeling when he’d been forced to participate in the Nershal rite, which involved racing across a valley while being chased by feral protokars.
 

If Kaylan was trying to find him using her abilities, she could already be on her way here. Zack pressed his lips together and dismissed the thought. He hadn’t felt like she was watching him since he’d been dumped into the pit, but still the thought gnawed away at him. Kaylan was among the stubbornest people he’d ever met. He could easily imagine her arguing with Kladomaor about not leaving without him.
 

Zack shook his head. He needed to find a way out of here. Like Commander Hunsicker had said on more than one occasion, he needed to work the problem. Solve enough problems and he might be able to get out of here, but there was no way he could do it without Etanu. Since there was no way he could rescue the Nershal, Zack set his mind on what he could do to help them both escape. He didn’t want to think about never seeing Etanu again. The Xiiginn, Kandra Rene, had taken Etanu to get to Zack, so they had at least some motivation to keep him alive.

Zack decided to explore the areas nearest the wall. He needed more information about this place if he was going to come up with a plan to escape. He had a sneaking suspicion that there had to be other ways of getting in and out of the pit. The hunters guarded the feeding areas, and the giant mutant had likely claimed some other part of the pit. There could be some correlation there. It would be strategic for the Xiiginns to place the most dangerous and territorial mutants in the most vulnerable areas. He made a mental note to further explore this line of thinking.
 

Zack headed toward the wall, stopping every now and then to climb a tree for a better vantage point to spot any potential threats. Hicks would have been proud of him. He spotted a small group of mutants gathered near some sort of shelter that looked barely more than a shack. They appeared to be smaller versions of the Nershals, but he didn’t see any of them unfurl their wings. He wondered if they could fly. Zack lowered himself to the ground and slowly approached the group to get a better look. Whatever clothing they had was in tatters, hardly more than rags. Other than their small stature—perhaps four or five feet tall—they closely resembled the Nershals—smooth, pale green skin with darker swaths on their faces. Zack looked at the shack, where one of the females was coming out.
 

Children!
Zack gasped when he saw that she was carrying a small Nershal child. Some of the mutants glanced his way, but Zack wasn’t sure if they’d seen him. He backed away, and the last thing he saw was the mutants ushering the mother and her child back into the shack. Zack moved as quietly as he could. When he was far enough away, he blew out a breath. The only other mutants he’d seen so far had been adults.
 

He glared over at the tower for a moment, then moved on and darted toward the wall in intervals. He tried to get close enough to see the area just above the ground, looking for signs of a door or the power lines he surmised must be beneath the walls. Since he had nothing to write with, he made mental notes about the different groups he encountered. He guessed the diameter of the pit to be around five miles—quite large. He was happy to learn that not all of the pit’s occupants appeared menacing or dangerous. As long as he kept his distance, the mutants he encountered hardly paid him any mind, and Zack wondered how often a new captive was introduced to the population here.
 

Zack opened the lid to a canister of water he’d been carrying and took only a sip, intending to make his water supply last because he wasn’t sure when he would be able to get more. He sat, resting his back up against the trunk of an old, gnarled tree. He was at the edge of the tree line before an open area, thinking this position would at least allow him to see if anyone or anything was approaching. He needed to take a break, so he removed his PDA and started examining it. He tried to power it on, but it was unresponsive. There was a small clasp on the side where it could be opened. He gently pulled on the clasp and the PDA opened, revealing the mechanism inside. Since the PDA wouldn’t power on, he checked the connections to the power supply and reseated the connections where he could, but there was so much more he could check and fix if he had some tools.

A large shape flew overhead, catching Zack’s attention. He glanced toward the open field and heard the distinct whine of engines that powered a Nershal sled. They must be tracking him. Zack looked down at the red spot on his forearm where the tracking device had been inserted. He thought of trying to dig it out and then run but dismissed the idea as foolish. Zack hastily put his PDA back together and rose to his feet.

The Nershal sled landed around twenty yards from his position, so they must have come for him. Zack walked out into the field and saw a heavily armored sled hovering over the ground. The sled was equipped with heavy gun turrets, and a large group of Xiiginn soldiers had gathered on the deck. Kandra Rene stepped off the craft and walked purposefully over to him. Her dark clothing clung to her shapely figure, the plunging neckline revealing her firm, ample breasts beneath. Her eyes were locked onto him, and her lips lifted in a half smile. She must have been able to get some information from Etanu. Zack glanced over to the sled, looking for some sign of the Nershal, but he wasn’t there.