Survivor Planet Series 2-Book Box Set (20 page)

"Let's go then," I said, figuring that's what he wanted to hear. Judging by the condition of Baynar and the others, taking our chances in the sky was better than sticking around on the surface of Taleon.

I was surprised when Ariston nodded. He got up and moved toward the hatch. I followed and watched as he jumped down and explained the circumstance to Baynar and the others.

"We need to get off this planet now," Baynar argued. "Nighttime is the worst."

"I understand that, Sir. But the risk is too great. I'll head up and check it out, then come back for you once I'm assured it's safe."

"Oh, bullocks! Of course it's our ship. Those bloody snot-suckers wouldn't dare infringe on our territory!" Baynar yelled.

"They already have, Sir. They've been taking specimens from Earth for some time now. I just dealt with another one before I was commanded to retrieve you and your men."

"I'm gone a few days and everything goes to hell," Baynar ranted.

"Calixtus will be most relieved at your return, Sir," Ariston assured him.

"I will put an end to the anarchy on Calixtus," Baynar vowed.

I supposed Ariston had filled him in on what was going on in his absence. I wondered if he told him that most of the planet had tuned in, anxiously watching and placing bets on his and his men's imminent demise.

What kind of planet did Ariston and those others come from where they tuned in to watch each other suffer and sweat in life and death situations? Although, when I thought about it, could I say we were any better on Earth?

Baynar grudgingly agreed to allow Ariston to fly up to the other ship to make sure it was one of theirs. Both of us buckled ourselves into our seats and Ariston flew in close, again attempting to contact base and the ship now within our sights. The other end of the line was still nothing but static. He brought the lightwing in so close to the larger vessel that I held my breath.

"See that writing on the side?" Ariston asked.

"Yeah." To me it just looked like a bunch of jumbled symbols resembling ancient hieroglyphics.

"It's one of ours."

I breathed a sigh of relief as Ariston turned his craft around and headed back toward the surface of the planet. Part of me had been afraid it was an Akkadian ship bent on revenge for what happened on Earth. A ship that size could do a lot of damage to Ariston's lightwing.

As Ariston brought the ship in for a landing, we noticed right away that something was terribly wrong. Flashes of laser bolts swirled through the air only to bounce off boulders, leaving bright sparks and black scorch marks. I could detect movement, all of it wild, zigzagging around the open area—men trying to take cover in the rocky mountains.

"Can't you beam them up?"

"No. I have to be stationary in order for it to work. Damn it!" He maneuvered the ship around seeking out the source of the fire power. "It must be one of the past contestants. They're the only ones who'd have weapons or know how to use them."

My hands clung to the armrests as he dipped and swayed from side to side searching for the enemy. I knew he couldn't risk firing since his commander and the three other men he was trying to save were also down there. Distinguishing them in the dim light was next to impossible. He tried to pinpoint the enemy's location judging by the fired laser bolts, but the person moved like a ghost—or a dangerous warrior—and seemed to disappear as soon as Ariston swooped back around. Finally, he got a fix on Baynar. Even I could make him out by the red shirt he wore. Ariston flew in low and dropped down, landing within a hairsbreadth of a huge pile of stone.

The four men barreled out from hiding and made a beeline for the hatch door that Ariston rushed to open. "The ship above is one of ours, Sir," he informed Baynar. The men began to scramble aboard, all of them trying to clamor in at once. After Baynar and Camden climbed inside, Ariston put out his hand to block the other two men.

"What the hell are you doing Ariston?" Baynar demanded.

Outside I could hear the sound of the laser bolts flying closer and closer to our destination. Whoever was out there wasn't deterred by the small vessel.

"The ship can't handle the weight of more than four," he insisted. I'd unfastened my seatbelt and now cowered back against the wall when Baynar pointed a grimy, self-righteous finger at me.

"Put her out!" Baynar demanded. "We'll take our chances with five."

Ariston stared at me, catching the terrified look I knew I wore. Despite what had happened between us, I detected a glint of heat in his eyes that took me by surprise. Sure we'd lain together, but I'd also betrayed him. I expected him to look at me with righteous indignation and perhaps vindictiveness, yet I saw none of that. Our gazes held for a moment and I felt myself turn stone cold with realization. It didn't matter if Ariston had any reservations, he could not defy a direct order from his commander. Not for a treacherous Earth girl he'd been forced to bring along. Both of us turned our sights on Baynar. Seeing the determination on the commander's face, I knew begging and pleading was out. When Ariston failed to move, the spark of a laser bolt hitting the stone beside one of his men on the ground spurred Baynar into action. He took three wide steps over to me and grabbed me by my arm. When he began to pull me toward the hatch, Ariston stepped in front of him.

"I can't allow you to do that, Sir," he said.

Baynar shook a fist beneath Ariston's chin. "Get out of my way!" Through the now unblocked hatch, the other two men from the ground scrambled aboard, the extra weight causing the lightwing to lurch precariously.

The two men circled around to join Camden, who stood behind his commander. Baynar looked over his shoulder and gave a nod. Before we could react, the four men charged forward and physically shoved Ariston and I right out the door. Both of us landed on our asses on the hard ground.

Ariston leapt to his feet while Baynar took up a position before the door. "How dare you defy a direct order? You give me no choice." He turned his sneering face to look upon me then back to Ariston. "I hope she's worth it." The hatch swished down, and moments later the ship took off.

There was no time to react. A flurry of shots swirled out beside us and over our heads. Ariston reached for my hand and dragged me to safety, pulling us down behind the boulders Baynar and the others had vacated.

We knelt side by side while the bolts continued to rain down. My puffing breath sounded in my ears along with the steady pounding of my heart. My hand hurt and I suddenly realized Ariston still held it in a tight grip. As I attempted to flex my fingers he loosened his fist, but didn't let go.

Finally all grew quiet. I'm not sure what frightened me more—anarchy or silence. At least when the predator was firing we knew where he was. Even now he could be creeping forward with a large knife, ready to do us in.

We were helpless.

Both of us still wore the clothing we'd had on for our date when this entire fiasco started. Ariston's only weapon, as far as I knew, was that star-shaped thing in his pocket.

"Can't you bring your ship back? With that thingy?" I asked him.

"The ship's not set to manual. Besides, Baynar would just override it."

"What's happening? Why's he stopped firing?"

"The weapon can only sustain so much rapid fire before it needs to recharge. It runs on solar power. If he's out he can't charge it until sunrise."

"God, I hope so." But my earlier thought entered my head. "What if he's creeping up on us with a knife or some other weapon? He knows where we are."

"But he doesn't know his opponent. Even if he's realized I don't have a gun, he'll assume I have other means to protect myself."

That made sense and gave me a bit of relief.

"He's probably gone. All that racket he made must have gained the attention of the Varlings, who'll come swarming. Even though they're of limited intelligence, even they have probably figured out those weapons only last so long," Ariston reasoned.

Now my belly was in knots again. "Shit, so now we have them to worry about? Let's get out of here."

Ariston was staring up at the sky. "Once he gets up to the ship, he'll come back. He just panicked. A few days on the run will do that to someone who's not used to ground combat."

I didn't like the idea of hanging around like a pair of sitting ducks waiting for that treacherous bastard to
maybe
come back. I'd seen the rage and terror on the men's faces as they'd shoved us out the door. Once they were safely aboard the larger ship they'd feel ashamed, hopefully, but they also might not want to face what they'd done. How could they face Ariston? Seeing my companion vainly searching the dark sky, I hesitated to voice my concerns. What if I was wrong? For a few minutes I'd allow myself to hope that any second now Ariston's ship would zoom back down to the planet's surface and rescue us. Those men were all too aware of the conditions they'd abandoned us to. Leaving us to a fate that they too had recently been unjustly handed would make them no better than their assailants.

Surely Baynar and the others were not that treacherous?

As time slipped by and the look on Ariston's face became more and more dejected, I had to wonder if they were.

I'm not sure how long we crouched behind the rocks waiting for something to happen. Part of me wished the Varlings would come swarming in and force us to move on. Judging by the stubborn look on Ariston's face, he was content to stay put forever. The only sounds I detected came from Taleon's wildlife. Shrill animal-like screams and low grunts rang in the distance. Shuffling and snorts came from all around us. I let loose a giant sigh.

"He's not coming back," I finally said.

"He will," Ariston insisted.

"If he was, he would have come by now. Face it. He's too chicken shit to face you." I'd had the displeasure of seeing the raging face my companion made when angry and had to admit he was scary as hell. I wouldn't want to be in Baynar's shoes. After what he pulled he probably figured it was safer to let Ariston rot down here.

I figured it was about twenty minutes or so later when he finally gave up hope. No excuse in the world could explain a delay of this length. He got to his feet and peered overtop the rocks to scan the area. Remaining where we were wasn't an option.

"It's clear," he said.

I stood and stretched my overly tired, aching body. It'd probably be the middle of the night back on Earth I estimated, and I was in desperate need of sleep. Ariston moved cautiously out from behind the safety of the rocks, with me following close behind.

Keeping his voice low he said, "We'll head over there." He gestured to a forest off in the distance. The land around us was wide open. The ground was sandy with rocks and patches of tall wild grass shooting up every few feet. The only means of cover were the large boulders scattered around the base of the rocky mountain. Considering it'd been the hiding place of Baynar and those men, the barren-looking mountains didn't offer much in the way of shelter, sustenance, or safety.

We moved stealthily, keeping as low as possible. It surprised me that as soon as we started off, Ariston took hold of my hand again. Perhaps he felt responsible for our circumstances, I couldn't say. And I sure as hell didn't expect such consideration in view of what had happened between us a few hours ago. He may have banged me good and plenty, but then I'd practically thrown him to the wolves. I was thankful he hadn't repaid me in kind.

Once we reached the relative safety of the forest, we slowed our pace and stood up straight. The light of the moons made the tall trees cast ominous shadows all around us. I felt a tremor go through me. Ariston squeezed my hand.

"I'll figure this out," he said.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

"We'll have to find someplace safe to hole up until I can figure out how to get my ship back."

Rustling sounded all around us, motivating our movements and the direction we took. We'd pause, hustle to the right, duck low then veer off to the left again. I almost suggested we climb one of the trees—which seemed high and sturdy—but becoming trapped by a swarm of Varlings or a wild animal made me keep my idea to myself.

"Over there." Ariston pointed up ahead to a large, gnarled trunk. We crept forward and I stayed put while he walked around and examined the remains of an old, hollowed-out tree. It at least appeared quite sturdy considering it still stood upright. He kicked the trunk a few times, checking to see if anything rustled or fled out of a door-like opening that was about three feet high by two feet wide.

"I think it's safe," he said. "It'll be tight, but we can probably both fit."

My imagination ran wild, conjuring all kinds of disgusting alien bugs living in there, which would surely eat the flesh from our bones or bore holes into our bodies. "You first." I watched while he maneuvered his giant-sized body through the opening and sat down, making himself some-what comfortable inside.

"Plenty of room. Come on in," he urged.

I let loose a sigh of resignation and fit myself through the opening. Once inside I had to practically curl up in his lap. We had to lean against the wall of the trunk since there wasn't enough room to stretch out and lie down. It was going to be an uncomfortable night.

I tried to concentrate on anything else other than what my head may be laying against. Shifting my body, I put my head on Ariston's shoulder instead. His arms nestled around me and I enjoyed the warmth he gave off. After several minutes of listening to each other breathe, I broke the silence.

"Why'd you do that back there?"

"What? Wait like a fool for them to come back? I don't know."

"No. Not that. Why didn't you let them toss me overboard?"

He took so long to answer me I wondered if he puzzled over his actions as well.

"I brought you here against your will. Contrary to what you'd have done in a similar situation, I couldn't allow you to be abandoned to that fate."

My face flamed in embarrassment. So he was a better person than me. So what? Maybe if I were a huge, strong, self-assured man I would have made a lot of different decisions in my life. "I...well, thanks for that." What else could I say?