Anaz-Voohri (21 page)

“Germany? I have to accompany him." Tia couldn’t let him go alone in such a horrendous state. She wanted to be there when he woke up.

The doctor considered her with surprise. “It’s none of my business, but you can’t really do anything for him."

”I just want to be there when he wakes up... He saved my life." She really wanted to say 'I made a mistake and he paid for it', but that was none of the doctor’s business.

“Let us at least treat your injuries.”

 
Tia flexed her burned hands. “These are hardly injuries. It’ll heal by itself.”

The surgeon frowned at her bravado. “Give me a minute to make the arrangements." He pulled out an epad and entered codes through the small keyboard.

Tia used the time to text her CO, who agreed to assign her to Germany with Zack before reporting to Washington.
A good thing, because Tia intended to follow Zack, whether her CO agreed or not.

The surgeon looked up from his epad. “The medical transport leaves in a few minutes.”

The second ride in the Medevac transport seemed to take forever. Zack lay unconscious, face down on a stretcher, hooked up to several lines. Thick bandages covered his back and the medical staff kept constant watch on his vital signs.

Tia couldn’t help but think she should be the one lying there. She knew she had a strong constitution and would probably have weathered the explosion better than Zack. But he had sacrificed himself to save her, and she couldn’t stand seeing him so helpless.

“I love you,
corrazon
,” she whispered in his ear, hoping it would give him strength. “You have to hold on, for us." Zack couldn’t possibly be aware of her presence, yet she believed her words could help him.

As soon as they reached Landstuhl US Military Hospital, the emergency staff there started a battery of scans on Zack. If Tia read their faces correctly, he was in very bad shape, but they wouldn’t answer any questions until they had performed and studied all the tests.

Awaiting the results, Tia sat besides Zack’s bed. He still lay on his stomach, wrapped in white bandages like a mummy with saline drips stuck everywhere. The military had automatically contacted Zack’s parents, and they were on their way. Even the estranged biological father of whom Zack hardly ever spoke had been alerted.

Finally the surgeon walked into the room. “Are you related to the patient?”

“As close as it gets." Tia didn’t flinch. She wasn’t going to let a doctor keep the truth from her.

The surgeon looked doubtful, but shrugged. “Well, I have good news and bad news.”

“Give me the good news first." Tia desperately needed to hear them.

“We can clone his skin, and with a series of grafts, which we can perform right here, his chances of survival are excellent.”

Tia hesitated to rejoice yet.
“And the bad news?”

The doctor sighed. “He’s suffered more than burns. His lower spinal cord is damaged in several places.”

“Which means?" Tia’s panic strangled her voice.

“Well, we will attempt surgery and do our very best, of course, but it seems this young man will likely be paralyzed from the waist down.”

“Paralyzed?" Tia couldn’t even imagine what that would do to Zack. “You mean he’ll have to be in a wheelchair?
For how long?”

“For the remainder of his life, I’m afraid." The doctor’s voice had softened, as if he understood Tia’s pain. “This kind of injury does not repair itself with time."

Unable to speak as fear twisted her stomach, Tia stared at Zack. To think that he’d never walk again, never climb a mountain, never make love...

“Usually patients with injuries this serious only survive a few years in a chair... The lungs do not function at full capacity." He doctor paused, as if expecting Tia to react. “The shock his body sustained should have killed him. In any case, he will need psychological counseling. This is an extremely difficult transition for a professional soldier.”

Still numb, unwilling to believe, Tia heard herself ask, “How long before he wakes up?”

“It could be weeks, even months. We’ll probably wait until after all the surgeries are done. Induced coma is still the easiest painkiller while the patient heals.”

Suddenly Tia wanted to leave. She could no longer control her distress if she remained in the same room as Zack. How could she lay eyes on him and not hate herself for crippling him for life? How could she face the despair and the accusation in his eyes when he learned of his irreversible condition? Or even worse, how could she stand his forgiveness?

“His family should be here soon,” she said quickly. “I have to report for a debriefing. I’ll be calling you on his progress." Tia rushed out of the room.

Once in the hallway, she ran for the bathroom, locked herself in a stall then leaned on the wall and sobbed uncontrollably. Her stomach churned, and she retched into the toilet.

Tia’s world had suddenly collapsed, all her hopes for future happiness knocked down with a single blow. The very thought of this vibrant, sexy man she loved reduced to immobility made her want to flee, run, pretend it never happened. But she had to live with the fact that it was all her fault. If only she hadn’t touched that booby-trapped lock...
An unforgivable mistake.

Whenever Zack regained consciousness, he would certainly hate her, even if he refused to admit it. They had risked their lives for each other many times during their years together. It would have been easier for Tia to die, or even to deal with Zack’s death. It was part of a soldier’s lot, but she didn’t think she could cope with this. This was the absolute worst thing that could possibly happen to him, to them both.

Even if Zack still loved her, what would happen next? Tia’s life belonged on the battlefield, and he would remain bound to a chair. No more torrid nights, long swims, or walks on the beach... What would they have in common except memories? When would they see each other? Tia’s duties would keep her away most of the time…
 
As despair threatened to engulf Tia, she took a deep breath and refocused her thoughts.

She needed to believe that someone else shared the blame, and she would make sure they paid for what they did to Zack. Ultimately, the responsible scum were the Anaz-voohri. Anger rose in her chest at the very thought of the name. Tia would find redemption in hunting them down. That was all she had left.

Pulling out her epad, Tia called the General in charge of the Anaz-voohri counterattack operations and requested an audience. Later that day, she boarded a military plane bound to Washington, DC.

*****

In the council chamber of the Anaz-voohri flag ship, Captain Kavak turned on the three-dimensional holographic device occupying the center of the crown-shaped table. She could not accept defeat in front of her war conclave. And since the two sentinels guarding the weapon hoard had died, she had no one to punish, and no one to blame but herself for the loss of her precious weapons.

Now that she faced the appointed leaders of her nation, what would she tell them? As her aide served the Blue Heaven liqueur in tall crystal flutes to subdue their objections, Kavak observed the generals in full black armor, their faces in shadow under the cowl of their silvery capes.

Although no one could ask an Anaz-voohri warrior to relinquish his weapons, Kavak wished she had that power. Several of these officers coveted her position. Kavak would have to watch her every word and lead them in the direction she’d already chosen.

“How did they detect our cache?” asked an old General in an accusing tone, before even tasting the drink.

The chief scientist, pale in his white robes and smaller than the others, twirled his glass, looking confused. “And how did substandard beings overpower the hybrid sentinels we so carefully engineered for the task?”

Kavak took a few sips,
then
stared at her conclave, challenging them to accuse her. “I fear we grossly underestimated the military capabilities of these puny humans." She emphasized the
we
, hoping to make them share the guilt. “Not only did they deprive us of the phase-guns destined to arm our loyal hybrids, but they now control these weapons and can inflict more damage to our race in the confrontations to come.”

The scientist cleared his throat. “As you know, Exalted Leader, these phase-guns are difficult to produce in large quantities without the facilities of a home planet. It will take months to replace them." Although the spineless scientist always hid behind excuses, Kavak had easily bribed him into playing her game.

“The humans are getting too bold,” shouted a female General who slammed the table with her palm. When her tall glass wobbled, she redressed it in a quick motion. “We must stop them.”

“They need to be taught proper respect." The scientist nodded, just as Kavak had coached him.

The Shaman appointed after Kavak killed his predecessor, a young male in traditional leather and red and yellow feather headdress, seemed very proud and aware of his importance. “No inferior beings can humiliate the Anaz-voohri without severe consequences,” he added with emphasis.

“I agree. These humans are trying my patience." Kavak marveled at how easily she could manipulate the leaders of the Anaz-voohri nation. Good thing she’d eliminated the old Shaman. He’d probably have argued that Humans had souls and shouldn’t be sacrificed. “We can strike a blow to destroy a large part of their military." Kavak turned to her young subaltern. “Where is their largest concentration of troops at the moment?”

A three dimensional representation of Earth filled the hollow center of the crown-shaped table. The holographic planet turned to present one particular area.

The young subaltern pointed with one claw. “Many armies seem gathered in what they call the Middle East, Exalted Leader. Over two hundred thousand soldiers, not all from the same nation!”

“Two hundred thousand..." To think that Kavak’s legions only consisted of ten thousand warriors. The five thousand other members of the Anaz-voohri nation constituted the religious cast, the engineers, the technical crew, the food producers, and the medical staff. Of course, she had a few thousand hybrids working for her on planet Earth as well. Still... She rose and hovered along the outside perimeter of the table. “The time has come to level the field.”

“May I point out that our latest biological weapon needs testing, Exalted Leader." The head scientist looked smug. He knew he’d just earned his case of blue liqueur.

“Poisoned gas?" Kavak feigned surprise, but she had thought of it at length and relished the idea of human soldiers squirming in the throes of death. “I like it." She returned to her seat. “Pick a small country with the highest concentration of troops. We’ll make a show of force, and this time we’ll do it in broad daylight.”

“You mean show ourselves, after we have remained hidden for so long?" The female General smiled at the idea of open battle.

So did Kavak. “Rejoice, my faithful warriors. The time has come to instill fear in these insufferable little fire-ants, show them what kind of damage we can inflict." She knew the ants’ analogy would speak to the religious cast, who still revered the old Earth legends, although they’d never seen a single ant in their life.

“Aren’t you afraid they might retaliate?" The scientist had even agreed to look like a coward to help Kavak make her point.

“Afraid? Who here is afraid?" Alert for any negative reaction, Kavak smiled as she saw none. “Let them try. They cannot touch us in space. Their fleet is still in infancy. We will strike and let them know who we are, so there is no doubt that this is a reprisal. Then we’ll let them ponder the consequences of their actions.”

“What if they strike us again?" So, the old General did not trust her plan.

Kavak smiled like the snake sighting his prey. “At the slightest act of aggression, we retaliate with even greater force.”

The young Shaman nodded. “The little ants will think twice before stinging us next time.”

Kavak congratulated herself for her judicious choice of religious leader.

*****

A military sedan met Tia when she landed in Washington, DC and drove her to the Pentagon. As soon as she entered the marble foyer with the official logo insert on the floor, she could sense a great level of alertness. Something must have happened. She went through the security check.

“Lieutenant Vargas. You are expected,” said the young woman who met her as soon as she was cleared. “Please follow me." She led Tia to a door and stopped. “The General is inside,” she said then left.

Tia entered the conference room and thought she’d pushed the wrong door. She had not expected to see so many people at her debriefing. Overwhelmed, she noticed military brass, civilians, and even politicians recognizable in their expensive suits.

The General hurried toward her. “Have you heard?”

“Heard what?" So, Tia had guessed right.

The General pointed to a large plasma screen on the wall. “This started about an hour ago. The images are automatically relayed by unmanned cameras."

“Unmanned?" On the screen, all Tia could see was a large desert town, partly destroyed, a battlefield. Dead soldiers, strewn everywhere. Above them hovered the malevolent bulk of a large ship, a dull golden color, with Anaz-voohri markings.