Quest for Freedom Page 19

  Vala retrieved her weapon and scrambled to the front of the craft to assist Ash. Grateful for the soldiers’ reduced night sight, Janai placed her weapon on the floor, untied the vine rope from her waist, and secured it around the frozen Morgee. Just in case. Then she tucked her sinsabe into the breast of her jumpsuit, grabbed her weapon, and made her way to the bench near the crying children.

  “It’s all right,” she said in a soothing voice as low light began to illuminate the inside of the craft. “We’re going to be fine.” The crying changed to sniffles but the children’s eyes were wide and focused on the motionless soldier. One of the little boys had his head bent down and she crossed to him.

  “You all right?” She guessed him to be about four or five cycles old.

  The Kritine boy looked up at her for just a second then bent his head again. “I—had an accident.” The boy’s jumpsuit was wet in the front between legs.

  “That’s okay.” She stroked his dirty, white hair.

  She set the light-fire weapon on the bench, unstrapped the boy, and rummaged through the storage bin for some fresh clothing. When she didn’t find anything, she stripped him down and wrapped him in a sleep skin from one of the packs. Then she rolled the soiled clothing and placed the bundle on the floor underneath the bench. He gave her a hug and she let him hold onto her as long as he needed to. After a moment, he let go and she strapped him into his seat. The ship jerked and she fell on her backside.

  “Hey, watch it,” she called to the drivers. Her gaze fell on the Morgee soldier who had toppled over in a crash of metal, causing the children to gasp and whine. He was motionless but she kept her weapon close.

  “Sorry,” Ash told her. “I’m still trying to get the hang of this thing.” He turned to her a smirking face.

  “Well, try and watch where you’re going.” The children’s injuries were mild enough to wait until they were back in the free-zone, so she pushed her healer instincts back and sat on the bench to watch the creature.

  “Once we get around these mountains—” Vala called over her broad shoulder. “—it’ll just be a matter of minutes until we’re at the free-zone.” Her earflaps were more relaxed now.

  The ground ships traveled fast and efficient, just above the rough terrain of the planet.

  Another bump and her backside banged against the hard bench. “Ow,” she snapped, eyeing the front. “Would you like me to drive?”

  Ash laughed and she imagined the sparkle in his lavender eyes. “Sorry.”

  “Are you sure he’ll stay that way?” Pethe said.

  Janai turned to the younger Kritine girl who stared warily at the frozen soldier. “I hope so. If not—” She held up her weapon and the girl studied the black, crescent-shaped object. “Don’t worry.” Janai nodded to the front of the ship. “We can handle one Morgee soldier.” The ship jerked again but Janai ignored it. Pethe seemed to relax a bit. Janai’s fear of the Morgee was still with her but she knew how to push it away when she needed to. Pethe had been trained for camp rescues but, evidently, she hadn’t dealt with the Morgee in battle. “Didn’t you run into them during your travels?”

  “Not once we were clear of the camps.” Pethe twirled a lock of dingy, white hair around her forefinger. “The maps were very efficient. And we were doing fine until one of the storms hit. But you know about that.” Pethe had lost two children because of that storm. “And we waited until the invisible fence around the dome was de-activated, then we went inside and waited for you.”

  Another jerk, then the transport smoothed out again. “And you didn’t run into any soldiers in the dome?”

  “No.” Pethe shifted on the bench. “We didn’t see any until we were behind the illusion wall, where you found us. And only the two I told you about.”

  Janai couldn’t help the odd feeling that settled in her gut. There was never a time she hadn’t run into dome Morgee when she’d led a camp rescue. They seemed to be everywhere. And she had the scars to prove it. She gave a concerned look to Ash and heard his voice in her head. We’ll ask the elders about it.

  30 ~ Back to the Free-Zone

  Ash and Vala drove, or rather jerked, along the path toward their destination, and finally got the transport to the free-zone. Once inside, the E’treun technicians sealed the invisible fence and illusion wall behind them. They hadn’t been followed. At least, they didn’t think so. No matter. The Morgee knew the free-zone location and knew they couldn’t penetrate the area.

  When the soldiers had first found out where the children were escaping to, they patrolled the area non-stop. That was over a year ago and now they never came around. Janai hoped her guardian, Divia, and the other E’treun adults would have some answers.

  Ash triggered the tubing and sent the frozen Morgee soldier down first. Janai rubbed at her sore backside as she got out of her seat. When she gave the two drivers a sidelong look, Ash smiled, then bent down and planted a kiss on her nose.

  She nudged him playfully and said, “Next time, I drive.” He gave her a mock bow and she wrinkled her nose at him. She went down after the children with Ash and Vala following last.

  The elderly healer, Divia, was checking the children and Janai made her way to them. “Pethe seems healthy enough. I think mostly they’re just exhausted. The Earth girl has a fever, but I gave her some herbs.” She motioned to the Sitopan girl. “I haven’t had a chance to check her arm but the sling looks good.” Then she sighed. “Pethe saw some Ronarian children, but the soldiers had already transported them to the slave camps by the time we arrived.”

  “You did well, child.” Divia smiled to reveal a mouth full of large, gray teeth. The yellow tufts of hair at the back of her head had gone even whiter in the last year. “I’ll take care of Pethe’s group.” She motioned to Janai, Ash and Vala. “You three get some food and rest.” “We have a lot of planning to begin tomorrow.” Janai started to protest but the elderly woman cut her off. “Krav’n is waiting for you in the food chamber.”

  Janai smiled and left Pethe and the children in Divia’s capable hands. She hooked her arms in her two companions’ and the trio made their way to the food chamber.

  “Janai!” Krav’n yelled across the large room. The little Ronarian boy jumped off the bench and sprinted toward her. When he reached her, she scooped him up and kissed him soundly on his head ridges. “I missed you.” He pressed his forehead to hers.

  “I missed you, too.”

  He reached a webbed hand out and pulled Ash’s head toward him, touching foreheads, then did the same to Vala. The Aknidean girl’s yellow eyes grew slightly larger at the open display of emotion. Vala had accepted Krav’n as family and allowed the public display but still seemed uncomfortable with the Ronarian tradition of head-butting.

  Janai pushed down a laugh as she and the others made their way past the large stone tables and to the stone cooking counter. The ancient E’treuns had created the stone items centuries ago. And they were getting plenty of use as more and more children escaped to the free-zone.

  “Dinner shifts are over.” Krav’n wrapped his arms around Janai’s neck as she carried him. “But I wanted to wait for you.”

  They had so many children now that meals had to be taken in shifts. Krav’n was almost seven cycles old and growing heavy. When she reached the food service counter, Janai lowered the boy to the ground and took his small webbed hand in hers.

  “Well, it’s about time.” A strong voice said.

  Janai looked over at the Ronarian behind the counter. He blinked vertical eyelids at her. “Hi, Blal’k.”

  He was a head taller than her now, and looked older than his thirteen actual years, and for a good reason. Ronarians, Janai had learned, achieved one last growth phase when they reached the end of their twelfth year, which caused them to physically age at a rapid pace. Blal’k was now the equivalent of seventeen cycles, an adult by Ronarian standards. His skin had taken on the deeper green coloring of adulthood and his voice had a rich quality. Janai couldn’t hel
p the slight pang of jealousy she felt at Blal’k becoming an adult ahead of her.

  “In the kitchen as usual, old one?” Vala teased. On her world, elderly men and women took care of meal preparations, while younger Aknideans hunted. That, coupled with Blal’k’s rapid growth cycle, gave Vala all the ammunition she needed, and she teased him mercilessly.

  Janai tried to keep the smile from her lips. “How’s it going?”

  Blal’k sneered at Vala before turning his attention back to Janai. “Busy, but I have some new help.” He motioned behind him and Janai followed his gaze to a little girl. She could only see the back of the girl’s red hair but she knew the person.

  “Hi, Penny.” She waited for the child to turn a freckled face in her direction. “Blal’k put you to work, eh?”

  Penny smiled. She was tall for her seven years, thin, and had grown more somber since her brother’s death over a year ago. Everyone here had lost someone precious but Penny was especially sensitive. Janai and the other healers worried over the girl.

  ****

  Next morning, Janai dragged herself out of bed and into the female bathroom. Though she had bathed last night after dinner, she longed for another. Several other girls were already here, the younger ones with their E’treun guardians. Divia’s ancestors carved the pond-sized bath from rock centuries ago, and modern E’treuns kept it in working order. A shower waterfall kept the dirty water circulating out to a filtering unit and sent the cleaned water back into the pool, while a heat system powered by the suns kept the water warm. The smooth, white walls glimmered in the low artificial light.

  After relieving herself in the private area reserved for just that business, Janai stripped off her sleepwear, tossed the clothing into the laundry hole, then put her sinsabe on a stone bench against the far wall. She carried her healer’s bag everywhere in the tradition of Kritine healers. That would never change. She stepped into the warm water, leaned against the tepid rock and closed her eyes.

  “Wonderful, isn’t it?” a voice said.

  She opened her eyes to see Pethe soaking nearby. “Oh, you said it.”

  “I thought I was the only one who came here night and morning.” The girl’s lavender eyes sparkled, despite the dark shadows around them. She’d been away on her rescue mission for several weeks.

  “Anytime I return from a mission, I have to bathe twice a day for at least a week.”

  “Me, too.” Pethe tossed a homemade soap bar to her. “I wish this was all over,” the girl muttered after a moment. Every child on this planet had made that wish at one time or another.

  The two bathed silently for a while and Janai took comfort in the chattering voices of the girls around her. Suddenly, she heard a squeal and a wave of water hit her in the face. She wiped her eyes and looked out to see Penny and Tish splashing about. Both girls spotted her and made a beeline in her direction, squealing her name.

  When Janai had first come across Tish, she thought the little Earth girl might be older than she looked. Her suspicions were confirmed by Tish’s growth spurt and learning abilities over the last year. She was about ten Earth years old now, edging on the brink of puberty, and towered over Penny and Krav’n, her best friends. Her brown skin had a healthy glow and she appeared to be all arms and legs.

  The scars that adorned her cheeks were fading slightly as she grew. Tish avoided answering any questions about the subject. And her E’treun guardian, who was also a counselor, decided to let her talk about her scars when she was ready. The younger girls’ guardians stood on the banks of the bath, keeping watchful eyes on their wards.

  Janai almost went under the water when the two girls jumped on her. They wrapped arms around her neck, planting kisses on her face. Then they grabbed Pethe and did the same to her. Soon all four were laughing and splashing around in the water. Janai was glad to see Penny smiling and laughing. Tish seemed to bring out that frequently buried part of her.

  After drying off and retrieving fresh jumpsuits from the laundry dispenser, guardians took the younger girls to the first breakfast shift. Janai and Pethe dressed and headed for the meeting chamber. The meeting room, with its familiar smooth walls and rock-carved table and benches, was much smaller than the eating chambers. In the past, only E’treun elders held meetings here. Blal’k, two E’treun chefs, and a few trainees brought food. The Ronarian stayed behind to join the meeting of twenty-three former slaves and three E’treun elders.

  This mission would be dangerous and exhausting so only those over the age of twelve and experienced had been asked to join. As usual, the E’treuns would stay behind because of their connection with the Morgee. Runners carried information to the camps in order to let slave diggers know what was happening and to provide the treasured free-zone maps to the escapees.

  They still had no idea what had become of the older children the Morgee removed from the camps. Children who disappeared once they became too large to fit into the small tunnels and hadn’t been seen or heard from since. Janai hoped they were still alive. She also hoped that once they shut down the Morgee, she would find Sarah. The last time she’d been with the nervous Earth girl, she’d said some harsh words, and the Morgee re-captured the girl before Janai could apologize. She fought down the thought that Sarah might be dead. I can’t face that. Not yet.

  A familiar hand pressed down on her shoulder and she turned to see her promised one studying her. His lavender eyes were warm and understanding. He held out her vine rope, the one she’d tied around the frozen Morgee soldier. She gave him a smile and secured it around her waist. Ash wore his sleeves rolled up and his arm muscles stood out beneath his gray skin. Janai’s face grew warm, followed by other, more private parts. When she caught his smirk, she cleared her throat and turned her attention to the meeting.

  “All right,” one of the elders announced. “Let’s get down to business.” This man was younger than Divia, but his drawn face made him look older. The slight bluish tinge of his E’treun skin was paler than usual and his reddish eyes were dull. The yellow tufts of hair at the back of his head showed no signs of aging whiteness. He indicated the two E’treun women to his left. “We have gathered you here to discuss the infiltration of the Morgee. You’ve all had dealings with them in the past and you are our hope for the future. So it’s important you be involved in every aspect of the plans.”

  “We want to hear from all of you,” one of the women added. “This is probably the most important mission you could’ve volunteered for, and we thank you.” The woman was a scientist and geneticist, and she’d been studying the Morgee genetic books left behind by her ancestors.

  The E’treuns had all but given up on increasing their reproductive time, something they’d tried for centuries after the Morgee revolt left them with only a small community, which had escaped into the mountains. Since E’treun females only reproduced once every ten years, this caused a severe drop in their numbers over the centuries, despite their long lives.

  Janai, along with the other former slaves, kept the scientists informed of recent Morgee behaviors. The translators struggled to decipher ancient codes used in the rockdome’s construction. Young Tish, who had an extraordinary talent with written languages, began training with the translators upon arrival and now worked with them daily. They said they were closer to breaking the code now, but Janai had heard that same statement a year ago.

  She and Ash began discussing the scarcity of the Morgee in the rockdome and around the free-zone site with the others, and soon everyone offered information and questions concerning the revolt.

  The meeting went on through dinner and Janai was tired by the time they adjourned for the night. She rubbed at the back of her neck as she made her way out of the meeting chamber, her arm hooked over Ash’s elbow. She’d healed her bruised shoulder but stiffness now took the place of pain.

  “I spoke to Divia this morning,” Ash said in a cheerful tone. “We can have private time in the library.”

  Janai was beginning to feel better.
“Really? How’d you manage that?”

  He looked at her with bright, lavender eyes. “I simply reminded her that we’ve been gone awhile with the Freedom Team and haven’t had many chances to be alone.” He pulled her close.

  Her body heated at the glimmer in his eyes. Together, they headed for the library.

  31 ~ Preparations

  The Freedom Team met with the elders for three more days before they felt ready to carry out the mission. In that time, several more children, who were deemed close to or above twelve cycles old, volunteered, bringing their numbers to twenty-eight. Most of them would be runners.

  Janai, Ash, Vala, Pethe and Blal’k became first team in charge of maneuvering the ground transport, which they’d been practicing each night after dinner. They would use the craft to infiltrate the Morgee rockdome and rescue as many children as they possibly could, while attempting to weaken the Morgee and steal weapons. Ash would keep in communication with the E’treun messenger Bast, his guardian until the lifemate ceremony.

  Scientists and mechanics worked together to alter the transport’s frequencies, allowing the instruments to recognize any of the enslaved races, while at the same time denying entrance to the Morgee, much like the illusion walls at the free-zone. They also routed energy to the ancient regeneration chords to power the ship. The craft could hold a charge for six days.

  The study of the captured soldier provided one hope to the E’treuns, the possibility that the Morgee were finally breaking down. The original genetic codes and mechanical parts were very old, ancient in fact, and there was no indication that the beings had anticipated their own mortality. In all the centuries they had existed, the Morgee learned to use the technology left behind by the E’treun ancestors, but hadn’t seemed to create any of their own. They simply imitated the life their original creators had lived, with the exception of the raids on other planets for fresh supplies of slave labor.