The Battle for the Ringed Planet (17 page)

Siiri kept back behind the two others for a moment and when May glimpsed back the blonde haired girl quickly looked away. Torian did not notice that the Siiri’s eyes glowed gold as she grasped her forehead, whispering harshly out of earshot of the other two. 

Glancing back at May and then Siiri, who seemed lost in thoughts, he walked back to the shorter girl, “So what did your father and the others say about these tunnels south of the city?”

“That they were forbidden?” she rubbed her temple.

“Smart ass.” he frowned at the readings and holo displays of large objects appearing over his Con and both Siiri and May checked their devices.

“What are they?” Siiri asked.

“Tanks, amour, artillery, our lines right above us.” he peered back to May, “Both battalions from the Juno?”

“You’re asking me?” May studied her displays, “I’m just a private, they just tell me to jump and I say how high do I have to be?”

Torian chuckled, “Looks like they’re dug in. I don’t think there is a way up from here, you’ll have to back track.”

“No, I’ll stick with you two and be a hero, or at least get out of digging latrines.” then she became serious, “They sure want that city, both sides.”

“Last chance May, wouldn’t want you to be thrown out an airlock.”

“Then I got lost.”

“So we did.”

The heavily armed trio trekked further along the dark tunnel and glanced warily at the ceiling when they heard the rumble of artillery pounding marine positions. Dirt streamed down as the ground shook and Siiri clung close to Torian remembering the cave in they had seen when they first set out. The further along they walked, the more distant the explosions. Finally, they were so far away the ground did not shake anymore. The tunnel seemed endless.

“So May…” Torian suddenly broke the silence, “…how old is your kid?”

Siiri glanced back at the towering marine in surprise.

“Figured that out did you?”

“Back at the shopping center … boy or girl?”

Sighing she slung her rifle, “A boy, he starts school soon.”

“With his dad?”

“No, that scum can rot in Hell. My son is with my sister till I get back.”

“Really May? You’re a mother …”

 “That’s right blondie.”

There was an awkward silence for a moment until Siiri remarked, “It’s getting warmer.”

“Yeah …” Torian checked the Con in his rifle, “wet, too.”

“Might be the hot springs.”

“So they did say something about the tunnels south of the city!” Torian turned to her.

“I forgot about that.” both May and Torian watched Siiri expectantly, so she added “Um … well, Brant’s father mentioned it a couple of times, scavenging parties searched through the tunnels as far as some mines.”  

Steam began to wisp near the ceiling of the tunnel, which turned rocky and uneven. Then it widened into a cavern and they all heard rushing water and felt wetness on the walls.

“After this are the desert lands, then the Outlawed lands.” Siiri whispered.

“Why are they the Outlawed Lands?” May shined her light aiming her rifle along the walls.

“They are forbidden, and full of demons, the Lost Ones.”

“Demons, I bet.” May snorted.

Torian added, “They are also under the rings, so only partial sunlight, and twilight.”

Then May, Siiri, and Torian entered a large dark area where their powerful flashlights illuminated a pool of water and an underground stream in the distance. Mist rose from the bubbling waters.

“Shine your lights on the walls.” Siiri instructed.

All three aimed their lights on the rifles and the walls lit up with blue, red, and green glowing stones, and Siiri continued, “There is supposed to be a light in the roof, or so I was told. There should be a switch on the wall.”

Reaching towards the wall Torian pushed a round disc, “Found it.” The room lit up and the glowing stones produced an effect that made the steam look like an indoor rainbow.

“Wow!” May exclaimed, she checked her Con. There were stone benches around the pool and stairs leading down into the water, “I sure could use a bath!”

The tan skinned marine immediately began to strip off her gear, putting down her rifle, dropping the backpack, bedroll, and then her webbing with her helmet hanging from it. After that her shoulder armor came off and then her boots.

“I guess we’re sleeping here for the night.” Torian laid down his rifle and dropped his backpack and webbing.

“I’m going in!” May exclaimed pulling off her camouflaged combat shirt and pants revealing a green sports bra, boxer shorts and silver dog tags around her neck.

“Aye!” Torian began to pull off his flight boots, “You got soap?”

“Right here.” May pulled some out of her webbing.

“Um …” Siiri glanced around.

In her underwear, May tiptoed to the water’s edge and stuck in her foot, “Ohhh that’s nice.”

“Is it clear? Did you scan?” Torian stripped out of his flight suit to a navy T-shirt and boxer shorts. His silver dog tags hung over his shirt.

May started down the stone steps, “All clear, there’s a natural barrier between the pool and the river and it the warm water overflows in. But purify it first before drinking, mineral content is really high.”

“Torian!” Siiri hissed and grabbed his arm.

Trying to pull off a sock and jumping on one foot he turned around, almost losing his balance, “What?”

Glancing at May who was now entering the water up to her waist, Siiri whispered close, “I …” then she swallowed, “…underneath, my under garments are linen, white linen.”

“So?”

She slapped him in the arm, “So, when they get wet I might as well be naked!”

Chuckling, Torian remarked, “That’s a damn shame.”

The statuesque marine dived under and her long dark hair fanned out in the water.

Siiri growled, “Oh you’re funny, give me your shirt and turn around!”

“But it smells bad …”

“Shut up and hand it over!”

Pulling of the shirt he laughed quietly to himself, “Here then, this should be long enough and it doesn’t get wet.”

“Torian!” she gasped when she saw him shirtless and May surfaced frowning at the blonde girl’s expression, “What happened to your back!”

“Oh that. Docs say the scars will all be gone after a couple more treatments.”

Then May saw the faded purple streaks, “Space Jockey? They tortured you?”

“Yeah.”

“Imperium?”

“I got the VIP treatment.”

Siiri touched his back as he bent over to take off his other sock, “What did that?”

“Lasers,” May replied before Torian, “Slow tiny lasers, excruciating, I hear.”

“Let’s drop the subject, I want to swim. Here Siiri...” he turned around and helped the girl with her gear, and when she pulled off the webbing, she began to unbutton her shirt.

“Turn around.”

“I was about to.” he winked at May who swam up to the edge of the pool and watched with her arms folded over the rock surface. “Wow May, your arms are as thick as my legs!” he remarked while Siiri slipped out of her clothes.

May whistled, “You’re not so bad yourself, work out a lot of frustration?”

“Only when marines use the gym.”

“And very nice, blondie…” May beamed, “… a real blonde after all, natural and such smooth white skin. No tats or piercings.”

With her jaw hanging open Siiri clutched Torian’s navy shirt over her front and squeezed up behind the young man, “May!” 

“What? So I like girls.”

“Really?” Torian grinned from ear to ear.

“But you had a baby!” the red-faced blonde haired girl gasped.

“So, sometimes I like men, but mostly girls.”

“Unbelievable!” Siiri growled pulling the shirt over her head using Torian as a shield. Then she stepped out from behind the young man and stormed by with his navy blue shirt down to her knees.

“How is the water?” Torian glanced at May while strolling up to the edge next to Siiri.

 “Nice and warm, though it’s a little warmer around me.” May chuckled.

“She didn’t …” Siiri sighed.

“I bet you’d do it and not tell anybody.” May smirked.

“Are all marines gay like that?” the blonde haired girl fumed.

“Every one of them.” Torian replied.

“I’d give up a year’s pay to hear you say that in base camp.”

“Only if I was sitting in the cockpit of a Hawkeye about to launch,” Torian walked down the steps into the pool, which came up to his chest and when the blonde haired girl followed, the water was up to her neck.

“Oh this is nice!” she exclaimed. Both Torian and Siiri waded around circling the pool while May sat near the edge kicking her feet. Then the young man climbed up on the stone divide between the hot pool and the cool fast moving underground stream. The warm water flowing over the rocky footing tickled his feet.

“Don’t fall in, the current looks fast.” Siiri warned.

He turned away from the girls, “Now don’t watch, I have to pee.”

Siiri rolled her eyes and glanced at grinning May while Torian proceeded to pollute the clear stream with his back to the girls.

“That’s quite a geyser there Space Jockey.” May laughed.

“Been holding it for a while.” then when he was finished he turned back and balanced along the divide until he stood over Siiri.

“Don’t move.” he plowed into the warm pool next to the girl holding his legs in a ball dousing her while she screeched. Torian bobbed up beside her and she gave his head a shove back under water.

When he popped back up again grinning he exclaimed, “Hey, why is it so warm in this end?”

“It is not!” she shot back, “You know I went earlier!”

All three relaxed in the water for a while and then began to lather up with May’s bar of soap. Siiri scrubbed her face and then shampooed her hair. After washing her body, the blonde girl climbed out and retrieved her dirty clothes, including Torian’s flight suit and walked back into the water. Rubbing the soap into the material of her shirt and pants she cleansed the stains and went to work on the military uniform surprised at how easy the dirt and grime came out.

“Thanks.” Torian waded up beside her.

With an affectionate smile, she replied, “You’re very welcome.”

When they stepped out of the pool, the young man and blonde woman lay down on the smooth floor slowly drying off in the steamy heat. May strolled over to her equipment and began to study her Con, detached from the rifle. Siiri moved next to Torian relaxing on her back propped up by her elbows letting her long shiny hair hang down and drip dry. The young man watched the blonde girl while she closed her eyes mesmerized by her soft wet skin and her comely delicate face. She was a beautiful girl.

“Space Jockey?” May motioned for him to come over.

Siiri opened her eyes watching Torian, with wet his chocolate brown hair slicked back, stirring reluctantly. She then caressed his cheek with the back of her hand and shot him a warm smile. In turn, he touched her hand on his face and then rose up padding over to see what May wanted.

The tall dark haired marine turned away from Siiri when Torian approached and whispered, “I saw that.”

“Saw what?”

“Siiri likes you.”

“Nah, it’s just a knee jerk reaction, she’s been through a lot and I’ve been kind to her.” they both peered back at the blonde girl who had closed her eyes again.

“You don’t like her?”

“There are better men when she gets off world.”

“Some girl really messed with you.”

“What do you want, May?”

“All right, tell me about our objective. What are we after?”

“Do you want the long story or the cheat sheet version?”

“You must have been a real teacher’s pet. Just the main points.”

Torian glanced back at Siiri who was oblivious to their conversation while soaking up the warm steam from the pool moistening her skin with little droplets running down her long lean legs. The blue shirt complimented her wet blonde hair.

“Roll that tongue back up, Space Jockey. Now let’s hear it.”

Sighing and grudgingly turning away from Siiri he shot May an even look, “All right grunt. The shield controls are under the city designed by a colonist. The access codes are in his office, under the rings in some sort of research facility. That’s where we’re going.”

Then he ran his hand quickly through his hair, “Oh, and one more thing.” he glanced back at the blonde haired girl, “Only she can get through the shield security defenses, apparently.”

“And how is that?”

“Her DNA, the designer is her ancestor.”

“So there are instructions then, in your Con.”

“Yeah, sort of, coordinates.”

“Where did you find the information, from her people, other survivors?”

Shrugging, he replied matter-of-factly, “Directly from the designer.”

“He’s alive?”

“That’s right.”

May frowned, trying to take in what she just heard, “So, he’s like, well over a hundred …”

“And with a sharp mind still, don’t ask me how.”

“Ok, so I think I get it.”

“The designer of the shield said we wouldn’t like what we saw, so this is why we’re heavily armed.”

“I don’t like that part.”

He nodded and then began to turn away but she grabbed his shoulder and whispered even quieter than before, almost urgently, “One more thing, Space Jockey.”

“Yeah?”

Now May glanced at Siiri, “What sort of implants does she have? I ain’t seen eyes like that except in captured Imperium cyborgs.”

Torian cringed, and turned to face May squarely, “That’s the other reason we’re going.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

Pain and worry showed on his face, “I don’t know.”

Slowly May nodded, “You’re going to tell me more?”

“Later.” he walked over to his backpack and picked up two bedrolls, both made of thin rolled up green material. Walking back over to the blonde haired girl he laid hers down and the other close by.

“Sleepy?” she sat up clutched her hair wringing the last bits of water from it.

“You’re not?”

“I think I was dozing while letting my hair dry.”

The dragon marine brought her sleeping bag and set it down a few feet away from their heads, “Hope you don’t mind, my bunk mates said I snore.”