Warrior's Valor (27 page)

Rae ducked under a low branch, trying to keep to one side of the narrow forest path. The soggy ground made walking difficult. The mud sucked at her feet like a thousand greedy leeches, but she was determined to catch up with the mercenaries and her mother before dusk. Checking her chronometer, she found that they had less time than she thought. The terrain had been unforgiving, but she knew the kidnappers were in the same situation. They had discovered two more pieces of gold, and Trom and Yhja had pointed out broken twigs, some even turned into knots, which had raised Rae's hope of finding her mother.

“We need a short break,” Emeron D'Artansis said just behind her. “Several of the junior officers' boots are filled with this damn mud, and their feet are hurting. If we don't stop to remedy that—”

“—they'll be in trouble farther along the line.”

“Yes.”

“How's Dwyn doing? I heard her cough earlier.” Rae admired the stamina Dwyn displayed as she kept pace with the rest of them despite her injured lungs.

“She insists that she's fine, but it's clear to me that she's struggling to keep up.”

“One more reason for us to take a moment,” Rae said. “If she crumbles—”

“She won't.” D'Artansis spoke somberly.

“Okay.” Rae raised her fist in the air, signaling for everyone to stop. Kellen joined her, glancing at D'Artansis, who now hovered over Dwyn.

“Is she all right?” Kellen nodded in Dwyn's direction.

“Yes, I think so. D'Artansis is keeping an eye on her. Something tells me Dwyn isn't the type who complains about her own wellbeing.”

“She reminds me of someone else,” Kellen said, and looked pointedly at Rae. “Perhaps all humans minimize injuries or illness.”

“Oh, well, perhaps.” Rae knew that her own track record spoke for itself. She was a terrible patient, infamous for having exasperated almost every medical officer who had attempted to treat her or even perform a physical.

Rae pinched Kellen surreptitiously as she walked past her toward Owena, Leanne, and the two marines. “I want you to scan the area for any signs of nonindigenous substances or materials.”

She turned to the young Disians next. “Yhja, Trom, survey the small clearing west of the path and, also, the rocks on the other side. If we're having problems walking in this water-soaked clay, the mercenaries are too, especially if they have wounded.”

The marines pulled out their scanning devices and began to sweep the immediate area. Noor and Oches accompanied Trom and Yhja without Rae having to order them to. Owena and Leanne helped the most junior of D'Artansis's team fill up everyone's water container. The water purifier turned the muddy clay clear and drinkable, a process that always amazed Rae.

“Admiral?” Dwyn said, and approached Rae after she sat down on a log to study the latest intel the SC HQ had sent to her handheld computer. “Is it all right if I disturb you for a moment?”

“Sure. What's up?” Rae studied Dwyn's pale features. Everything in her face was small, except her large, silver-gray eyes. Her transparent skin held a grayish undertone, which suggested she wasn't doing entirely well. The strong sense of character that shone from her shimmering eyes showed no weakness whatsoever. In fact, something within this young woman reminded Rae of her younger self. Perhaps it was the desire to prove herself to those who judged her—by her size or by her family's position. She believed everyone should do things by the book and that there was a right and a wrong way to do them. These convictions permeated every cell in her body.
That was before Kellen came blasting into my life. Literally.

“Everyone seems to be watching me, wondering when I'll drop dead or at least become ill enough to cause delays and other problems.” The directness in Dwyn's words surprised her, though it shouldn't have when she reconsidered their similarities.

“We're concerned for you, naturally. The condition of your lungs is serious. We have limited ways to help you out here, if you become worse.”

“Ah.” Dwyn sucked her lower lip between her teeth. “That's just it. Your concern slows everybody down, and ultimately it's not going to change a damn thing.”

“What do you mean?” She didn't like the way the conversation was going.

“I mean, no matter what, if I deteriorate, you're helpless. If my lungs give in, clog up, or whatever can happen to them, no one can do anything. It's only logical to conduct this mission as you would have if I was unharmed or not part of it. You never bargained on having a civilian along, much less an injured one. It's bad enough for you to have to worry about your mother, Admiral.” Dwyn smiled wryly. “I realize what's at stake. I may be working in a totally different field, but it's also my job to stay aware of the current political climate. Politics directly impacts our worlds, their inhabitants and environments.

There was nothing coy or martyr-like in Dwyn, merely a raw honesty, emphasized by her direct gaze and sincere voice.

“I assure you,” she said, choosing her words carefully, “that if I thought it necessary, I'd find a way to continue our mission without you. However, we can't risk your life by leaving you behind to wait for a MEDEVAC unit with just a junior officer to ensure your safety. We don't know how many bots are deployed to scout for you. And, as important as this mission is, we also need to figure out who's prepared to go to such extremes to stop your survey of the Disi-Disi forest.”

“Surely the risk of losing information to the Onotharians is more important?” Dwyn shook her head. “My mission is vital to Corma, at least, but I'm not indispensible.”

Dwyn's words cut deep, and Rae felt she had to explain. “What you don't realize, since you don't know my mother, is that there is no risk of any intel falling into enemy hands.”

“But—”

“None.”

“Oh.” Dwyn blinked, and Rae knew she had understood what she meant. “Your mother won't talk. No matter what they do to her. Oh, damn.”

“Exactly. So this mission is all about rescuing her and capturing M'Ekar, if either of them is still alive, and also apprehending the mercenaries.”

“I see.” Dwyn moved her foot, and the mud underneath made a wet sound against the sole of her combat boot. “And the hostile bots?”

“Because they attacked SC personnel, we need to investigate their origin.”

“Will that mean taking my mission more seriously?” Dwyn folded her arms in front of her. “What I mean is, will the SC finally realize that we won't have an area of space, or live planets, to go to war over, if we don't start taking our environmental issues to heart?”

“I don't disagree with your concerns, Dwyn,” Rae said, knowing full well that Earth had its own problems when it came to protecting its remaining wildlife. “The war with the Onotharian Empire is coming. That's no secret. I have no idea how much you know about the Onotharians, but they're invading other sovereign worlds primarily because they've poisoned their homeworld so badly it's becoming uninhabitable.”

“And when we win the war against them, what happens to the Onotharian population? Do we evacuate them from a dying world?” Dwyn's eyes shone like white gold as their topic energized her from within.

“Good question. And thank you for your trust in the SC military forces.” She smiled at how Dwyn had taken for granted that the SC would defeat the Onotharians. “What's your theory on the matter?”

“My theory?” Dwyn looked slightly shocked. “I don't presume to know anything about an operation that size. How many people live on Onotharat?”

“Approximately twenty billion.”

Dwyn's mouth formed a perfect “o” as she whistled. “Oh, my.”

“Exactly.”

“Is their planet beyond saving?”

“I'm not the right person to ask about that, but when we get out of here—
all
of us—I can put you in touch with experts at the SC headquarters on Earth or Iminestria.”

“You think I can really make a difference at that level, Admiral?” Dwyn relaxed marginally and drew a deep breath. Rae could hear a faint crackling sound as she did, which reminded her of Dwyn's serious condition. Not sure why, exactly, Rae knew that Dwyn evoked feelings of protectiveness. She oozed an integrity and strength that everyone she spoke to seemed to recognize.

“I do. Now, I can tell you're not feeling well, so this isn't a request. It's an order. I don't care if you're in my unit or not. I still order you to conserve your energy and be candid about your health situation.”

“Hear, hear.” D'Artansis approached them. “We're ready to continue, ma'am. Yhja and Trom have found traces of at least fifteen individuals, perhaps eighteen. Like us, they've been trying not to walk directly on the soggy path, but on the grassier sides of it. We found this.” She handed over a small item, glimmering in the faint light among the trees.

“A piece of a used bandage,” Rae said. “They've obviously got wounded people, and presumably they've sustained smoke-inhalation injuries too. There's a chance we'll find them sooner than we thought.”‘

“We just might,” D'Artansis said briskly. “Yhja and Trom told me there's a vast clearing only a few hours from here. I asked how big, and according to them, at least a hundred meters, diagonally.”

“A perfect landing site for an evacuation vessel...” Rae's mind whirled. “We have no way of knowing if they managed to get a message to any backup crew, but it seems logical that criminals this accomplished would have not only Plan B, but also C, D, and E. Damn it.” She stood and waited a few seconds until everyone paid attention. “We need to go faster, people. I know the terrain is bad, but it's no better for our adversaries.”

“Aye, ma'am,” Rae's and D'Artansis's units answered in unison before they began to hoist their back-strap security carriers and connect them to their belts. D'Artansis carried both hers and Dwyn's as before.

“All right, people,” Rae said, as she grabbed her own gear. “Let's get going. We'll rest again in two hours and also contact SC HQ.” She began to walk next to Emeron, her plasma-pulse rifle in her hands.

“We need a solid plan once we reach the clearing,” D'Artansis said. “Providing they're still there.”

“Yes. Commander O'Dal is best suited for concocting a last-minute stealth attack. That, together with Yhja and Trom's knowledge of the terrain, should help us succeed. Why don't you talk to her while we try to make it through this damned undergrowth?” Rae jerked some stubborn vines that blocked her way.

“Yes, ma'am. I need someone else to keep an eye on Dwyn.”

“I'll do it.” Rae could see that her ready offer surprised D'Artansis. “I'm impressed with her courage, Emeron,” she said, using the commander's first name deliberately. Emeron obviously had personal feelings for Dwyn and wouldn't be able to focus entirely on hatching a plan unless she knew someone capable was looking out for her.

“Thank you, ma'am.”

“Join Commander O'Dal and work with her en route. I know it's not ideal, and it has to be verbal only, but it'll have to do. We can't afford to stop and do it the formal way.”

“No worries, ma'am. I think best on my feet. Literally.”

Emeron stopped, Kellen caught up with her, and soon they were deep in conversation. The similarity between them, more of character than of looks, didn't escape Rae. Cool demeanors on the surface, volcanic lava underneath.
Yes, very alike.

Rae walked behind the marines and the Disian youngsters. Dwyn was three steps behind her, and every time Rae glanced back at her, she saw how Dwyn moved her lips as she walked. Eventually, her curiosity got the best of her and she waited for Dwyn to catch up.

“I have to ask. Are you singing, or praying, as you walk?”

“What?” Dwyn's head snapped up. “Oh, no, nothing like that. It's a trick my father taught me when I was young and we were traveling through challenging terrain on one planet or another. He told me that when you're tired, count your steps. That way you know the next step is a new one and you won't have to take the old one again. It's already over and done with. Each step brings you closer.”

“That's a new way of looking at it, at least for me.” Rae smiled. She was fascinated by Dwyn, but also constantly aware of her surroundings. She knew how quickly an ambush could occur and carried her brand-new, experimental plasma-pulse launcher in her hands.

“Well, I've been in this field ever since I can remember, Admiral. I've walked through more forests, climbed more mountains, and squeezed through more caves than you can imagine. I lived in a cooperative on a spaceship. My parents still do, and my father is the captain. My mother is the activist leader, and they're never short of willing members for the next cause.”

No wonder Dwyn was so dedicated. She'd been doing her job almost from the day she was born. “Seems like we have a lot in common,” Rae said. “My father is an admiral in the SC fleet and my mother, of course, is a senior diplomat in the SC corps. I thought I rebelled when I joined the Academy, but in fact, I followed precisely in Father's tracks.”