Hunting Cari (First Wave) (3 page)

Scaden looked up as the MedLab Commander, Amun Nassur entered the
room. He seated his six foot five inch frame into a chair next to Scaden and
turned to him, looking serious and a little flabbergasted. He didn’t have to
wait long to find out why his childhood friend had decided to join them in the
Tactical Room. 

“Scaden, I really don’t know what I’m looking at anymore. I’ve
been trying to figure out the anatomy of the humanoids on the planet, but
nothing is matching up. Based on the last reports we received almost two
thousand years ago from the Outpost and what I’ve learned from the satellites,
the vast majority of the occupants on the planet are different. Vastly, and
impossibly different. Even the skeletal structures are different. And I have no
explanation for it. At least, nothing that makes any sense to me.” He said with
frustration clearly evident in his voice.

“What exactly have you found, Amun?”

“Apparently, the people skipped a few thousand years of
evolution or another race of people took over the planet since the last time we
were here. In fact, even the inhabitants know there is a vast difference
between them as they are today, and the skulls of earlier people that they have
found around the planet. They have scientists, known as Archeologists, who have
dug up many different skulls and bones. And even they have not been able to
explain the differences in the skeletal remains that have been found. The one
thing I can say for sure is that some of the skeletons that were found were
Relian, and some were Valendran.” Amun told them with sadness evident in his voice.

Several surprised gasps were heard from the Tactical Team
members as everyone tried to absorb this unexpected information. Scaden looked
at the members of his team, and saw that they looked just as shocked as he was.
His mind worked quickly to try to piece this new information into the puzzle.

“Amun, how many Valendran bodies do you believe have been found
on the planet?” Scaden asked.

“From the limited amount of information I’ve been able to
gather; they've only discovered about a half a dozen Valendrans. The problem is
that it seems the various religious organizations on their planet, and
governments don’t want a lot of these unusual discoveries to be released to the
public, making it very difficult to determine a true number of the casualties.
I can tell you that there were far more Relian bodies than there was Valendran.
But there could be a lot more on each side that hasn't been discovered yet. In
fact, a lot of the Relian bodies were found in different stages of shapes.
Which is an indication that a lot of them were killed while shape shifting.”
Amun replied.

“From what I’ve gathered so far, it seems that the religious and
government bodies have kept a lot of information from the people. In fact, the
planet; the people call it Earth, have been regularly visited by the Balal’s,
but the governments refuse to acknowledge this to the people, even though they
have recovered a few of their crashed transport crafts. They call them UFOs,
Unidentified Flying Objects. Thousands of their people claim to have seen them
and been abducted by them.” Balduen added.   

“What is the reasoning behind keeping this information from the
people on the planet?” Niklosi asked.

“It seems they are afraid that it would cause the people to turn
away from the religious organizations that have been ruling the moral compass
of their people, and cause wide-spread chaos. The religious organizations on
the planet exist due to their ability to convince the people that their
particular way is the only way to find peace in the after death.”

“They believe the revelation of the existence of other
intelligent beings in the universe would call into question the people’s
beliefs. They think this would stop people from donating money to the religious
leaders and organizations, causing the organizations to collapse. There seems
to be a lot of organizations, who use the power they hold over their people to
subjugate them, and cause them to violently kill one another under the guise of
their particular ‘God’ figure wants them too. I’m having a hard time
understanding all the different reasons why the people are allowing this to
continue.”

“Nonetheless, the governments rely heavily on laws and rules,
but are also influenced by religious advisors as well. They seem to be
influenced by greed. They want more advanced technology than the other
governments in order to take over their resources. This would explain why they
have never admitted to acquiring the crashed Balal ships. In fact, the
information gathered on the religious organizations that are most predominate
on the planet reflect a lot of Relian influence.” Balduen explained.

“So we can confirm that some of our people made it to the planet
alive, and there may still be survivors of the Outpost on the planet. And we
might be dealing with government’s and religious factions that are controlled
or influenced by Relians. But we still have no way to confirm or deny that the
distress beacon is a trap. Can we get on the planet, in close proximity to the
location of the distress beacon, without being discovered?” Scaden asked the
room in general.

“Our best course of action would be to hide the Adaria behind
the Outpost planet; they call Mars and use the transport to get to Earth. The
current technology won’t be able to detect us if we take a small transport to
the surface and use the cloaking shields. They apparently have placed moving
robotic units on the surface of the Outpost planet. But the Adaria will be in a
location where they can’t detect our presence. The distress beacon hasn’t
seemed to change location since we’ve been monitoring it, so we should have no
problems locking onto the signal and landing the transport any distance from
the signal. We can get as close or as far away as we need to. Sensors indicate
that the signal is coming from a very remote area, so we shouldn’t have
difficulty finding a suitable location to land. I do believe we should go in
during the area’s dark time, so that it can aid in hiding our arrival from any
local people.” Gracus advised.

Scaden ran a frustrated hand through his hair trying to
comprehend all the information they’ve gathered and the ramifications of that
information. There were far more questions than answers at this point, too many
for his peace of mind. He didn’t like feeling like they may be headed into a hostile
environment, which may well be a trap with what little information they have
right now.

He also felt an urgency that he was meant to be here, at this
time. And it excited him. He couldn’t explain it. It baffled him as much as the
situation did. Nothing seemed to make any sense. It was like he was finding a
lot of pieces, but not all of them went to the same puzzle. Directing his
question at Amun, he asked, “Is there any way that we can scan the planet,
specifically for Valendrans using our body’s unique signatures? Is there a way
to determine if there are still survivors, without landing?”

“If we had years… maybe. But with the equipment we have,
there is no way that we could accomplish scanning the billions of people on the
planet. We can’t even scan the area where the signal is coming from. The dense
population of the natural vegetation, minerals and rocks prevents the scanners
from determining the different biological signs. If we were closer to the
signal, we might be able to detect a Valendran signature, but I wouldn’t be
able to know for sure until we landed in the area.”

“I can’t guarantee we’ll be able to once we land either. We’d
have to be able to log the cell signatures of the different plants and minerals
into the computer to give it a basis of structures to exclude when scanning.
Even that could take months, and it would only be useful for areas that
contained those specific cell signatures. We’d have to catalog the entire
planet in order to do a scan of that magnitude and have it yield any results.
And even that would take years,” Amun replied in frustration.

“All right, continue sending all information to the comm’s. I
want a plan of action developed to get us to the planet and the distress
signal, including any contingency plans in case it’s a trap, by tomorrow
morning. We’ll finalize the plans then. Everyone is dismissed.” Scaden said to
the team.

He watched each man leave the room until only he, Gracus and
Amun were left, knowing his friends wanted private words with him as much as he
did them.

“Scaden, we need to contact the Council and let them know
everything we’ve learned and find out if they want us to go to the planet. You
can’t just make that decision yourself. Your Father and the Council will strip
you bare of your rank if anything goes wrong on this mission. You have to get
their approval for this.” Gracus stated firmly to his friend and Commanding
Officer.

“I am going with you to the planet, my friend. I want to begin
the cataloging of the natural signatures in the area. And if we do find some of
our people, they may be in need of medical care. We have no idea what they may
have been exposed to on the planet, nor do we have any idea if what they have
been exposed to is contagious and can infect the rest of the crew. I may have
to bio-shield them for the sake of all the crew and themselves.” Amun stated
trying to contain his excitement at the thought of going to the strange planet.

Scaden looked at both of his friends. The three of them had
completely different personalities whom you would think would never get along
together, yet they’d been the best of friends growing up and stayed that way
through their young years. He sighed, having no answers or explanations for his
behavior, just a gut instinct driving him not to wait on the Council to review
the mountains of information they’ve acquired. They would argue over it for
months and maybe years before making a ‘safe’ decision. He didn’t want to wait
that long. He wouldn’t wait that long. His mind was made up, and he’d damn the
consequences later.

Gracus knew as soon as Scaden got that look on his face, that he
wouldn’t be notifying the Council. And he knew nothing he said would change his
mind. He was too stubborn to listen to reason. The only option he had now was
to mitigate some of the potential problems that would come from another one of
his rash decisions.

Giving Amun an angry stare for not trying to stop their friend
from making a terrible mistake he relented. “I’ll stay on the ship and make
sure we stay hidden from the robots on the Mars surface and maintain
communication channels with you and your team. I’ll have the images of all the
members of the original outpost sent to the comm’s. Amun can make sure you have
the cell signatures, so if you do find survivors you can make sure they are
ours and not shape shifted Relians.”

“From the ship we’ll monitor all the planet’s military
installations to ensure that they do not pick up on your arrival and departure.
And we need to make sure that the translators are all updated with the languages
of the inhabitants. We won’t know for sure what you may encounter, so it won’t
hurt to put all of them in there.”

Scaden clapped both men heartily on their shoulders and gave
them both a huge grin. “This, my friends will be a fantastic adventure!” Scaden
said with an excitement he hadn’t felt in a very long time. He knew something
about this mission would change their lives forever.

Chapter Three

It
had been several days since the trip to the store, but Cari couldn’t shake the
feeling that she was being watched. When Uncle Randor wasn’t watching, she’d
pace the small cabin and look out each of the windows trying to find any
unusual movements in the woods surrounding it.

Although
they hadn’t been anywhere near the town or its people since the supply trip,
she knew someone was lurking around, someone watching and waiting. For what she
didn’t know, but she was scared. She knew she needed to tell her Uncle, but she
couldn’t bear to have him angry at her for not telling him about Vince Baker
when they were at the store.

Besides,
she kept reasoning with herself, she was probably just being paranoid, and she
shouldn’t upset him over her own unreasonable fears. However, deep down, she
knew something was wrong. She knew it in the way she’d always known these
things. And she could feel the excitement and impatience of the person
watching.

She
wasn’t sleeping or eating and knew Uncle Randor was getting suspicious and
would soon confront her over what she was hiding from him. Making up her mind,
she vowed to herself that if the feelings of being watched didn’t stop by
tomorrow night, she would tell him what had happened at the store with Vince
Baker and let him decide what they should do.

Feeling
better about her decision, she headed into the kitchen to make their dinner.
She puttered around the kitchen grabbing the pots and pans needed to make their
meal, not really paying much attention to the charming little kitchen she was
in. They had been so many places, that after a while the thrill of another new
place had worn off.

It
was still a cute little place though. Nestled in the mountains, with a quiet
stream running through the woods on the other side of the dirt road that led to
the cabin. Being completely surrounded by trees and underbrush had originally
made it seem so quiet and peaceful. The last few days though made it seem more
ominous than anything else.

Built
in a rustic design, the cabin had only two bedrooms and two bathrooms on
opposite ends, with a small kitchen with a door that led to the back porch and
the living room off to one side. The furnishings were worn and all in neutral
earth tones, but had given the cabin a ‘homey’ feel. Now the shadows in the
corners of the rooms played tricks on her eyes, seeming to move around the
cabin following her.

Her
only comfort was knowing that Uncle Randor was in the living room on his laptop
computer, as usual, and close to her in case whoever was watching decided to
come up to the cabin. He’d always been there for her, and she loved him like
the father she’d had so many years ago, but didn’t remember. Brushing aside
those thoughts she tried to concentrate on dinner, pulling ingredients out of
the refrigerator.

The
last thing she remembered was an extremely loud noise like an explosion, and a
bright light before pain enveloped her head and then darkness.

*****

Scaden
and his team crept quietly among the trees heading in the direction of the
distress signal. “The signal is coming from the building on the other side of
the water Commander. Initial scans show no other humans in the area, and we are
showing one heat source in the main room of the building, that is not moving.
The building is blocking our ability to detect if it is a human or Valendran.”
Balduen stated.

Scaden
looked at the darkened building that Balduen was referring to. There were no
lights on, and there was a faint smoky smell in the area. It was now or never.
“Surround the building. We’ll go in on my command when everyone is in position.
Be ready to stun only. We need answers and if this is an unwitting human that
came across our beacon and figured out how to activate it by accident, we don’t
want to harm them. But be ready for anything. Upon entry activate the light
stones, so we have visibility.” Scaden ordered, moving across the shallow water
to what looked like the entrance to the building.

Scaden
and four of his ten team members crouched in the bushes in front of the
building waiting for confirmation that the rest of the team had reached the
other side. “Commander, it looks like there used to be a door back here that
was destroyed. There’s a hole in the building.” Niklosi warned.

“On
my command I want everyone to enter, be on alert; this still may be a trap.”
Scaden stated, taking position at the door. “Go, go, go!” He shouted into the
comm, and then broke down the flimsy door, throwing a small white crystal that
immediately began lighting up the room.

As
the area lit up, he could see the body of a large man in the middle of the
floor. Amun immediately ran to the prone figure on the floor and began checking
his body’s vital signs for life. The room itself looked like a battle had been
waged in it. What appeared to have been furniture was broken throughout the
room.

“Commander,
there is no one else here. All other rooms have been cleared. It looks like
someone tore the place apart, not long before we got here. I found the beacon
sir. It was in what must be a bedroom, hidden in a small wooden box.” Niklosi
reported, handing the ancient looking beacon to Scaden.

What
was going on? Scaden wondered taking in the scene of the wrecked building and
the beacon Niklosi handed him. The beacon was crudely made from pieces of metal
and materials that Scaden was not familiar with. How could someone have
randomly made this and ended up sending an ancient signal? And what was that
smell in here? It was unlike anything he’d ever scented before. It was
beautiful… and seductive. His cock began to twitch as he took another breath to
inhale the aroma more deeply into his lungs. What is that? His thoughts were
interrupted by Amun.

“Scaden,
he’s barely alive. We have to get him to the transport immediately, or he may
not make it. The cell scan shows him to be Randor Macner, son and sole heir of
Council member Duncar Macner and last reported presumed dead on the outpost.”
Amun said with awe evident in his voice.

Scaden
looked just as shocked as the rest of his team. They had survivors. The
implications of this were astounding. How many more of their people were lost
on this world, just waiting to be found and rescued? He needed answers. “Port
him to the transport now. Do everything you can to bring him around. We need
answers Amun. If he survived, there could be a lot of others that survived as
well.” He ordered, watching as Amun used the tiny red stone on his med belt to
port himself and his patient to the transport ship.

“Sir,
we scouted the perimeter of the building. It looks like a wheeled vehicle of
some sort, stopped down the road a good distance from here, and approximately
twelve people traveled through the vegetation and surrounded this place in much
the same way that we did. From the looks of the back of the building, they set
off some form of explosive device and entered. From what we can tell, they took
something heavy out of here and put it in the vehicle when they left. And the
cell scans indicate they were Relian, by the residue they left behind.” Balduen
stated with a snarl.

“That
goes with what we’ve found as well Sir. There are two sleeping chambers in this
building. One was obviously used by Randor Macner, since clothes in his size
are in there and the cell scans indicate his scent and cell signature all over
the room. The other was being used by a female. But this is confusing; the cell
scans indicate she is also Valendran. But there were no females on the Outpost
Sir. And there are no cell signature matches for her in our scanners. Who can
she be? How did she get here? And how did she find Randor?” Niklosi asked to
anyone in general, knowing they didn’t have the answers either.

Scaden
ran his hand through his hair; while he walked around what he realized was
obviously a housing unit. Niklosi had posed valid questions, one's he needed
answers for… and soon. The only person who may have those answers was being
treated at the transport craft. He followed the tantalizing scent, to what
appeared to be a sleeping chamber.

He
looked at what was obviously a bed and saw something light and delicate laying
on it. Picking it up, he realized the smell was so much stronger on the silky
fabric and in this room in general. It must be the female that he smells. “Sir,
this is the female’s sleeping chamber.” Balduen stated looking at Scaden
quizzically.

Scaden
realized that he was holding the light fabric up to his nose and smelling it
deeply. Damn what was wrong with him? Why the hell was the smell of this female
driving him crazy?

“I
want Niklosi and his team to stay here and monitor the area in case the female
ran off during the attack and returns when she feels it is safe. The rest of
the team is to port back to the transport craft. Get me trajectory scans of the
vehicle that brought the Relians to this place, so we can follow the trail if
we need to. I want to be able to hunt them down and find out if they are
holding any other survivor's captive, when we have more information. Especially
if what they carried out of here was the female.” Scaden waited until they
acknowledged his orders and left the room before slipping the fabric into the
pocket of his Tact Team pants. He then used his port stone to get back to the
transport.

He
walked quickly into the small MedLab unit on the transport, questioning Amun
the moment he entered. “What is the extent of his injuries, Amun?” He asked
looking over the naked man lying bloody and prone on the bed. Covered in small
holes and bruises, it was obvious the man had been badly injured. From the
looks of him and the room in the housing unit, he also put up quite a fight.

“He’s
in bad shape Commander. If we hadn’t found him when we did, he would have died.
The injuries are extensive, but I can get them healed pretty quickly. The most
severe will take a little longer, but he should be back to his previous health
levels within five of this planet’s moon cycles.” Amun replied, while
continuing the work to repair the worst of the patient’s injuries.

“We
don’t have five moon cycles for answers Amun. The cell signatures in the
housing unit show that a female Valendran was living with him. She wasn’t
there. We need to know who she is, where she came from, and we need to find her
and secure her safety. We also need to know if there are other survivors from
the outpost hiding on this world. We cannot stay here that long, while we wait
for him to be able to talk to us. We need answers now. Can you wake him up long
enough to ask him a few questions?” Scaden asked impatiently, touching the
silky fabric that belonged to the female, in his pocket.

“I
can try to wake him up in a few hours. Anything sooner will disrupt the healing
process. But when he wakes up, I have some questions for him as well. The medifile
on him indicates that he was never mated. But yet he carries the Ator-Ma., and
I can’t explain how he got it without a mate.” Amun stated and pointed to the
intricate tattoo-like design covering Randor's left arm and shoulder.

Scaden
was shocked yet again. This whole situation was becoming almost unreal. The
Ator-Ma is only manifested when a couple forms a true 'soul bond'. Once the
couple mates for the first time, the Ator-Ma manifests itself onto the left arm
and shoulder of the man and the woman in a tattoo-like design that can never be
removed. It is unique to each bonded and mated couple and cannot be faked or
duplicated. And only soul bonded couples could produce children. Was the female
in the housing unit his mate? He realized the thought made him unreasonably
angry and caused him to clench his fists at his sides. And where did he find a
Valendran female to mate with? None of this was making any sense.

“I
need answers Amun and soon. We have a female who may be in danger out there,
and whoever she is, she means something to him. And there may be others.
Contact me as soon as it’s safe to wake him, I need to report to Gracus.” He
ordered striding out of MedLab.

His
head was starting to hurt from all the questions running through it and the
information they’d gathered so far. The thought of the female belonging to
someone bothered him a lot more than he was willing to admit to anyone, even
himself right now. The entire situation was nothing that he had imagined when
they came to the planet to find the origin of the distress beacon. He walked
quickly to his small sleeping unit on the transport, not wanting an audience
for his communications with Gracus.

The
door opened without a sound after scanning his cell signature, and he entered
the small unit. He walked past the bed and towards the desk with his video
comm. He entered in his personal code, sent the private comm request to Gracus
and waited for him to respond. As he expected, he didn’t have to wait long.

“Scaden,
I received the comm reports throughout the mission. Is it really Randor
Macner?” Gracus asked immediately, his face on the video comm showing his
amazement.

“Amun
verified his cell signature in MedLab. It really is him.” Scaden replied
shaking his head.

“And
there was a female? Are you sure it was a Valendran female?” Gracus asked.

“Yes,
the scans indicated a Valendran female was living with him in the housing unit.
We do not have her and have no idea where she is. The housing unit had been
attacked by Relians not long before we showed up. At this point, the only thing
we know is that the female is missing and that the Relians took something heavy
out of the unit with them into a waiting vehicle. We have no idea if it was
her, or if she hid when they attacked.”