Nova (41 page)

“Agreed.”

“Ready?” Avara asked a moment later.

“Yes.”

“Okay. One more peek, then we’ll go.”

Another five minute review of their surroundings across the
visual spectrum revealed nothing. Yet still, the itch Avara felt along her
goose–pimpled skin suggested otherwise.

With a final nod, the two activated first their SP’s and
then K–Shields, the latter causing their bodies to be sheathed in dark cerulean
energy a split second before they both stood and as one, gracefully leaped
downward.

The expanse of stone, sediment, and blue–green waters that
crept closer was almost nauseating, yet enhanced speed meant enhanced intake of
sensory data as well, allowing Serros’s mind to track surroundings even during such
rapid movement.

The moment her feet touched her first landing point, Avara
felt the sensation of resisted entry as a spattering of bullet fire streaked
into the glowing shell of her kobalt shielding, only to bounce off like a ball
from a racket. The shots seemed to be coming north–west of her position, but it
was hard to pin given her own activity and the intense concentration required
to continue her trek safely.

Next to her, she could see out of the corner of her eye that
the same had been true for K’llan. Half–running and half–sliding down the hill
for another thirty paces or so, Captain Serros leaped a second time, again
dropping downward another one–hundred or so feet. This time her landing was a
lot less graceful than the first, boots catching as they gouged into too loose
and dry sediment.

The slip caused her to roll down some two stories distance
before once more righting herself. Only the K–Shield kept her from suffering potentially
fatal harm at the tumble, the same being true as yet more shots slammed against
and rebounded off her shielding. Momentum still pushing her forward, Avara was
able to barely execute a skidding half–stop like a skier down a snow–covered
slope to make sure Lieutenant Z’arr was still with her.

There!

With K’llan’s royal blue hair whipping wildly in the wind
and streaming like a pennant against the darker blue hue of her K–Shield, she
moved elegantly from leap to purchase like a squirrel flying from branch to branch
through a winter–pine.

Again Avara pushed herself forward, starting from a sliding
run to another series of leaps and landings. Finally, just as K’llan’s K–Shield
began to flicker, energy almost spent with use, the two made the bottom.
Without thought, Avara raced to K’llan, and grabbed her forearm with her left
hand. With significant effort, Serros drew on her greater Arca reserves to
extend her K–Shield to Z’arr just as the Vosaia’s winked out. The two of them
now had less than a minute before her own ability to hold the K–Shield was
extinguished.

Having to maintain physical contact with K’llan for the
entire duration to keep both of them skin–covered and mobile instead of
protected behind a static dome, Avara quickly scanned the direction from which
the volleys had continued to rain down. Snatching her pistol from her mag–harness
with blindingly enhanced speed, Avara ripped off a series of shots.

The Quorum Shield Operative felt a vicious surge of
satisfaction as two of her bullets splattered the crimson–smudged, white skull of
one Karukai with a slashing scar across her cheek. Three more projectiles tore
into the shoulder of who must be, by her dull gray skin, a clone. The other two
Karukai she’d spied quickly retreated behind their cover even as Avara slapped
her pistol back to her thigh. With Serros still holding fast to K’llan, the two
blurred forward down the side–path of the crashing river waters.

CHAPTER 21

“Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?” Avara asked, spacing her
now empty pistol clip and snapping in another from a CD at her waist. She could
still feel the exhilaration of the exchange singing along her body. The two had
sped about ten miles downriver in a like number of minutes, leaving the Karukai
far behind.

“Oh by She Who Watches!” K’llan responded, laughing. “You
are
a bad influence.”

“Ha! Is that why you’re feeling so elated?” And she was;
Serros could sense it.

“Not entirely fair, Avara.” K’llan remarked with a somewhat
coy smile, knowing what Serros was doing.

“Hey, goes both ways my friend.” Avara responded, deliberately
cocking her brow in an “I dare you to say otherwise” expression.

“Do we not have somewhere to be?”

“Yes, actually, we do.” Serros responded. “We need to swim
across, make the climb and then reach the remaining Karukai before they have a
chance to get away.”

“Well, they can only get so far since they are obviously not
Arcas, and on foot as well, as we did not hear any engines or thrusters in the
canyon. The sound certainly would have carried.”

“That’s my take as well.” Arcas would have utilized their microtech
to have made a better showing against the two women that just gave them the
slip. “And if they’re on foot, my guess is that they are escapees from the
Ardent
matching the two missing pods.” Serros added.

“Yes, a point also supporting our no Arca theory; that is,
at least no DP, DSA, PV, KB, or KS Enhancements.” K’llan observed thoughtfully,
listing the more combat–based Arca augmentations in existence, her training
kicking in. “Plus, we have caught up to them despite the significant lead they
would have had on us.”

“Yep. And we don’t want them reaching the outpost and
warning their friends, so,” she said, feeling playful, “time for our swim.”

Avara could feel the tingle of unease as K’llan turned her
profile towards the surging waters of the river, a dubious expression
flickering across her face, but all she said was “Lead on, then.”

Avara wordless nudged an emotive sense of assurance towards
the Vosaia before turning and making their way to the river’s edge. They quickly
used their CPAs to scan the area for any potentially hostile aquatic life, a precaution
she doubled by also using the X–Ray mode of her TXL.

Then, finding nothing present that seemed to be a threat,
continued forward and over to a narrow bend in the river-way that was far
upstream from any rapids. They removed and tightly stowed their jackets then took
out their rope dispenser, retrieving a ten foot span. Each tied one end
securely about her waist, making the distance between the two squadmates about six
feet.

The water was almost chill, but in an extremely pleasurable
way in the face of the intense heat that they’d been enduring for the last
several days. With the water reaching her waist, Serros could already feel the
grime, dirt, and dust spilling away into the fluid. Giving into temptation just
for a moment, Avara slipped into the water and submerged her whole body, head
included.

After letting the water sweep through and around her for a
full minute, Avara finally broke surface and stood up, feeling the huge grin
stretching across her face. Laughing out loud, Serros proclaimed “Heaven! It
would only be better if we could shuck off our clothes and have a proper bath.”

“I cannot say I would protest too much at the diversion,
Avara.” Z’arr remarked, laughter gilding her voice and her glance both amused
and mischievous at the same time.

“Ah, yes, well, perhaps another time.” Avara responded, and
actually felt a rather uncommon blush heating her face at the implied double
entendre.

“Well, let us proceed. You may be part fish, but I most
certainly am not.” She said with a pleased sort of smile lighting her face.

The two continued forward and deeper into the river and soon
the water became chest high, and the rounded stones that moved under Serros’s
bootsoles threatened to disappear altogether. The current was quite strong.
Noting that their destination was just under two–miles away, after tossing an ‘are
you ready’ look at her partner, Avara triggered her PV to kick up both her
strength and endurance and the two switched from walking to swimming.

A naturally more practiced swimmer plus a PV, Avara stuck
close to K’llan in case the Vosaia had any difficulty as the two slipped into a
steady freestyle stroke. Despite the extra weight from their gear and non–swim–friendly
clothing, overall Avara found the experience to be a nice intermission from the
last two weeks spent hiking and running.

They only ran into trouble once when an unexpected current
caught them for a dozen or so strokes before they were able to make their way
through the surge.

The crewmates made the other side of the waterway just as
the triple suns began their journey into the west and approaching dusk made its
presence known.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Serros asked, scanning the
area before beginning to remove her wet gear and clothing to dry on the still
heated rocks and fading sunlight. As always, she kept her weapons magged and
close.

Shaking out her long hair and following Serros’s example,
K’llan replied, “No, not bad at all, if we discount that whole stretch with the
current where you were essentially acting as my own personal tugboat.”

“Eh, you did very well.” Avara returned, moving her hand in
a dismissive gesture as she finished stripping down to her tank and briefs.
“We’ll make a fish out of you yet.”

“I wonder… is that a threat or a promise?” K’llan asked with
a weary smile as she sat down on a rock and uncapped her hydro–fluid to take a
swig.

Grabbing her own canteen and one of four sealed bags of
dried jakhri meat, Avara took a seat next to her and removed a strip of jerky.
“Depends on how you choose to look at it, I suppose.” Avara answered with a
slight smile, gently knocking Z’arr’s bare shoulder with her own. She bit into
her jerky with hunger–spawned zeal as her eyes tracked up and down the river.

“I will have to get back to you.”

“You do that.” Serros rejoined. Taking another bite of meat
to quell her complaining body, she asked in a more serious tone “How do you
feel about a nighttime climb and a little hide and seek with our fellow
survivors?”

“Mm. It must be done, and so we shall.” K’llan answered, her
determination clear even though Avara could both hear and feel how tired she
was.

In support, Avara wrapped her left arm around K’llan’s
shoulders. K’llan’s skin was both cool and warm to the touch, body heat working
through the already drying river water that still clung to them both. Though
she most certainly felt the electric zing that had become almost expected to
flare at physical contact, Avara also felt and tried to convey the very real
reassurance and warmth in being in one another’s presence. The sense of comfort
was complete when K’llan gently rested her head on Avara’s collarbone a moment
later, her crown tucked under Serros’s chin, hair smelling of river water, sun,
and the sweet scent that reminded her of anlya flowers. It was a scent that
Avara identified as belonging to K’llan alone.

Hearing her partner’s relaxed breathing that was only a step
removed from sleep, Avara Serros watched the turquoise waters lapping at the
rocky shore before them. Thousands of miles away from any friendly form of life
and having been caught in a primal struggle for basic survival for days, Avara
found herself thinking that in this place of rugged beauty, here and now, was a
perfect moment.

Twenty minutes later, having finished her food and noting
that their clothes were entirely dry, Avara murmured, “Time to leave, K’llan.”

“Mm. I suppose I am as ready as I can be.” She answered,
reluctantly removing her head and shifting away to slowly stand and reclaim her
gear.

It was hard for Avara not to feel the Vosaia’s physical
absence even as she followed suit and retrieved her own clothing and equipment.
Noting again how weary K’llan appeared and the pinched energy she carried
herself with, Avara remarked “After the deed is done, we will find a good place
for a relatively prolonged bit of rest, and we’ll both really eat.”

Serros pretended not to see K’llan’s chin snap up, or mouth
begin to open in protest and then close at Avara’s announcement. It was an act that
spoke volumes as to how hungry she must really be.

“Let’s get a move on. I know it’s not your thing, but I personally
can’t wait to have some fire roasted game rather than dried jakhri jerky.”
Avara also deliberately gave no sign of sensing the quickly snuffed spike of
hunger and desire that shot from Z’arr at her oblique reference to Feeding.
Wasting no time, Serros walked over to another narrow cleft in the canyon. It
was a crevasse, really, tracking up the canyon face. Since there was no slender
rocky trail to use to make their way up the canyon cliff as there had been on
the other side, traditional rock climbing was there only real option.

In silence, the two quickly unpacked the climbing gear their
survival kits contained; harnesses, grapplers, and boot–slips that were
designed to surface–lock onto any natural or constructed material with a series
of applied pressure signals. They slipped the gear into place and attached the
lead rope to one another. Serros took point due to the advantages provided by
her Arca PV enhanced strength and TXL augmented vision.

After each fired their cylindrical grapplers, the spear points
drilling into stone way above ground, Serros rapidly began the climb, thumbing
the cord retraction switch and using her feet to balance and maintain distance
from the surface. Avara could hear K’llan following closely behind as she
concentrated on good placement and stability.

She had to admit that there was an eerie beauty to the
experience, moonlight spilling down upon them and bejeweling the waters below,
air turning crisp and cool with the absence of the trinary suns.

Despite the significant aid provided by the grappler, it was
hard climbing and even with two rest stops, before long Avara noted that her
entire body was sheeted in perspiration. Having finally crested the gorge and taking
just a few minutes to recover, the two then continued their journey turned to a
hunt. They ran at an Arca eating pace until they had just about reached the
first position their attackers had been.