With his spare hand, Artem began pushing hard at the door. Nothing happened so he tried to pull at it, inserting his fingers into the seal. Still it did not move so he decided to try sliding it. It began to move easily under his hand and Thalia blinked as a steady stream of pale red light rayed out through the opening. She realised that the light was white when the door was closed but that it automatically changed to red when it was open.
They were utilising the telepathic network to its full extent. In the background of her mind Thalia could ‘hear’ Larya informing the others about what was happening. It was more than a telling. It was as if she was watching Artem moving the door open with double vision, the first being what she was seeing with her own eyes and a second, hazier, vision of the same superimposed on top.
: I’m going in : Artem telepathed : Thalia and Jim follow me :
He entered the Quorko.
The interior was similar to the interiors of the Quorkos of the Diaglon but there were differences in both design and layout. Along the walls and ceiling were block upon block of myriad switches and dials, very like the ones the Diaglon used to steer their space ships and planetary craft although the switches and dials were a lot smaller. At eye height were racks of bunk beds. The floor was made of a heavy black substance that wobbled under his boots. He could feel the give and take through the soles. There were no personal possessions to be seen. It was as clinically clean as the operating theatres the doctors used when they were performing operations. He heard Thalia and Jim’s gentle footsteps as they followed him in. He blinked and heard Thalia’s gasp as she took it all in.
There was no one there.
They must have all gone off to investigate the twin’s diversion, thought Artem. Stupid of them. No commander in his right mind leaves his base unprotected. I suppose they believe they’ve destroyed whatever they were looking for.
Seats, Thalia thought as she gazed around. Chairs with cushions on them, just like we have back home.
“Over there,” whispered Jim, pointing to the bunk at the end, the only one with curtains drawn around it.
Artem nodded to Jim. “Go find out,” he ordered. “Thalia, help him. I’ll cover you.”
On tiptoes, or at least as tiptoe like as they could wearing boots, Thalia and Jim crept over to the bunk.
Jim took up a stance facing the curtains and raised his firearm.
“Open them,” he told Thalia. “I’ve got your back.”
Gingerly, not quite knowing what to expect, Thalia began to draw the curtains. Max should be in there but if he wasn’t they would have to begin searching for him through the rest of this Quorko and the other two. She peeked in once she had opened the curtains a handbreadth.
“It’s him,” she told Artem and Jim in a relieved voice as she pulled back the rest of the drapes. “He’s unconscious.”
: They’re on their way back to the hill :
The telepathic warning arrived like a blast of cold air. It was a joint sending by Nalya and Talya.
“The strangers are on their way back. Get him down,” ordered Artem. “Let’s get out of here and back to the cavern before it gets light and they start looking for us.”
: Slei is waiting at the entrance : Josei’s ‘voice’ made Thalia jump again.
Holstering her firearm after carefully applying the stop switch, Thalia helped Jim get the unconscious Max off the bunk. They carried him over to the door and to where Slei waited. There they strapped Max down over his back, being careful to make sure the buckles were secure.
Artem’s hand was lying on top of one of the chair backs. In between the cushioned cover and the back he felt a small hard object. He picked it up and after a last look round to see if there was anything else that he might purloin, he followed them.
When the strangers returned they found the door open and their prisoner gone. Artem hadn’t had the time to work out how to close it but as he explained later, perhaps this was no bad thing. He was hoping the strangers would think Max had woken up and escaped by himself.
* * * * *
They didn’t quite make it back to the cavern by dawn but when they did sunlight had not yet made a discernable impression on their ability, or lack of, to see their surroundings. Slei especially made valiant efforts to keep up with the others, encumbered as he was with Max’s loose-limbed body.
But they made it. Thalia vented an explosive shout of relief as they went through the entrance and met the welcome of Tavin, Whufflya and Mikey.
Tavin and Whufflya had spent the entire night on unrelieved watch, taking turns to catch a snatch of sleep. They looked tired and strained.
To everyone’s surprise Mikey had a meal waiting for them. They attacked it ravenously once they had divested the Lind of harness and themselves of weapons and armour. Not a single person or Lind made a comment about the curiously shaped slices of trail bread nor about the odd flavour of the drinks.
Although unconscious, Artem believed Max hadn’t suffered any serious damage as a result of his incarceration.
“He’s got some bumps and bruises,” Artem informed them. “Burn marks round his wrists and ankles, he was must have been restrained, probably objected to being captured but they have been tended to and are already beginning to heal. They wanted to keep him alive and comparatively healthy.”
“So he wasn’t tortured,” stated Thalia with relief.
“Not physically tortured, no, but we have no idea what has happened to his mind. I remember reading an old text when I was younger and it mentioned certain drugs our ancestors used to utilise to get their subject to tell the truth.”
“They might know all about us then?”
“I think that most unlikely. Unless forced, I don’t see Max being very forthcoming,” answered Artem. “They know we are human, I’ll give you that much and if they thought us Vada were out here I don’t for a tvan think they would all have departed the hilltop in search of those who created the diversion, do you?”
Thalia hadn’t thought of that.
“When will he wake up?”
“Later today I expect, I’m already seeing evidence of movement in his muscles and behind his eyes. Someone will have to watch over him.”
“I’ll arrange it,” promised Thalia.
Artem turned to Tavin who, with Whufflya, had been relieved at the entrance by Jim and Avdrya, Jim having claimed that he didn’t need to rest thank you very much as long as they were relieved after bell or two.
“Tavin!”
“Yes Artem?”
“Have you heard from Jvldr and Rsya? How are they getting along with their search for Belu?”
“Not a thing, at least about Belu. Rsya reported in twice and told Whufflya they were still looking. They’re resting up now but will report back to her this evening.”
“Keep me informed.”
He turned to Thalia. “There’s something peculiar going on here.”
“Peculiar? That’s an understatement and a half. The whole situation is peculiar! What is going on? Are these strangers human? The images Kenlei telepathed showed that they walk like us.”
“Hopefully Max will be able to tell us when he wakes up.”
“I’ll stay with him. I can sleep just as easily here beside him as anywhere else. Get my bedroll, will you Artem?”
Towards evening Max did begin to regain consciousness. He began tossing about and saying one word over and over again.
Thalia woke up and leant over him.
“No …. No … No…”
“Max, it’s Thalia. Raise your head, that’s right. You need to drink.”
“Thalia?”
His eyes opened and he looked wildly around.
“Where?”
“Where are you? You are with friends. We came and got you.”
He shook his head.
“Friends dead.”
“No. Not all of them. Some managed to get away. Katie and Kenlei are here and so is young Mikey.”
“Tavin?”
“He’s here too. Now drink this all up. We need to ask you some questions when you feel able to answer them.”
“Able … now,” he said, trying to raise his head.
“Drink this and I’ll go and get Artem.”
Seeing that she meant what she was saying, Max dutifully drank some of the juice.
“Artem,” he agreed. “Must tell.”
Thalia had to shake Artem awake.
“Get up,” she commanded. “Max has come to himself. He wants to speak to you.”
He looks so very tired, Thalia was thinking about Artem as they approached Max’s pallet, but then, I probably don’t look any different. We’re all tired and what old Hael must be feeling like must be a whole lot worse. He doesn’t have the reserves us younger ones have.
Artem knelt down beside Max.
“What have you to tell me?”
“You’re not going to believe it.”
“Try me.”
* * * * *
“I wasn’t actually at the dom when it started,” said Max. “I’d gone to the necessary. I rushed back. Vandiel was shouting out orders. He told Katie to grab Mikey and to go. Tavin too. We were all trying to get undercover and hide the fact we’d been there. I waved to Tavin as he left. I grabbed what I could and ran. There was a blast of hot air and a light so bright that when I covered my eyes I could still see it. It swept me off my feet and I lost my pack.”
His eyes wandered. He appeared to be having trouble concentrating.
“Take your time.”
“I don’t remember much else. I, I suppose I’m a coward really. I couldn’t move. I just lay there with my hands over my eyes and prayed that the heat would stop being so hot. There was a terrible smell like burning meat.”
“Try not to think about it,” advised Artem although the bile was rising in his throat at what Max was telling them.
“What happened then?” he asked.
Max tried to shake his head and grimaced.
“I’ve got a pounding headache,” he admitted. “Must be the effects of what they gave me to make me sleep. I don’t remember much else about the dom. I must have blacked out. When I woke I was lying in this odd bunk, the material on the mattress was peculiar, all sort of silvery and shiny, and I couldn’t move. They kept asking me where the others were. They asked where were the dragons and wolves but it was strange.”
His eyes closed for a moment.
“Could I have some more juice?” he asked Thalia. “My mouth feels like a scratching cloth.”
Thalia gave him another few sips and as she did she caught Artem’s attention.
“Who?” she mouthed. He gave her one of his famous looks that said ‘be patient’.
“Don’t drink it too quickly or you’ll be sick,” she told Max, taking the glass away and helping him to place his head back on the pillow, a bundle of spare tunics donated by some of the vadelns.
“So what was strange?” prompted Artem.
“It wasn’t you they were asking about. It was weird. I didn’t tell them much, couldn’t tell them really and the questions were so peculiar. They didn’t ask about us. The questions were all about names and planets and things I’d never heard of.”
“What questions exactly?” asked Thalia but Max didn’t seem to hear her. He continued to talk.
“After their questions they gave me these little white things to make me sleep but they wore off after a few bells, least after a few bells I became less sleepy. When I was heavily drugged my words would come out sort of slurred and when the effects eased off I knew I mustn’t say anything about us so I kept telling them I didn’t understand. One of them got angry, I think he was the one in charge. He gave another into trouble for forgetting a packet of something that would have made me talk. Thank the Lai he did forget! I used to keep my eyes closed so that they would think I was still out for the count and listened to them talking. They weren’t talking about the Vada, nor did they mean the Diaglon when they were speaking about dragons. I’m sure of that! I was drowsy and I didn’t hear much else, just certain words I recognised.”
“Words like dragon and wolves,” smiled Artem.
“And planet and catch,” Max answered, “and …”
His eyes fluttered shut.
“How did Max understand what they were saying?’ asked Thalia. “Unless …”
“Precisely. Unless they were speaking some form of Standard.”
Thalia blinked and bent over Max again until her mouth was close to his ear.
“Max,” she said in a loud voice, loud enough, she hoped, to penetrate his departing consciousness. “Max. Who are the strangers? What do they look like?”
Max’s eyes fluttered open and he gave her a dreamy smile.
“Like us,” he responded. “They look exactly like us.” His eyes closed.
Artem and Thalia looked at each other and Artem started scrabbling in the pocket of his trousers.
“I picked this up when we were in the Quorko,” he said by way of explanation. “Forgot about it.”
“What is it?’ she asked, leaning over to look.
“I don’t know,” he replied, showing it to her.
“It’s metal. What’s that little button at the bottom? Press it.”
“Might be dangerous,” he countered with a twinkle in his eye.
“Doesn’t look dangerous,” she countered. “Curiosity is my middle name, least that’s what my mother used to say. Press it Artem, put me out of my misery.” She plonked herself down beside him and leant in so as to see better.
“Okay, okay, keep your hair on, I’m doing it.”
As soon as he pressed the button, one side of the object lit up and an image appeared.
“It’s a woman!” gasped Thalia, grasping Artem’s hand. “Doesn’t she look funny with that pink hair? These clothes don’t suit her at all either. They’re all clingy and are showing off all her bumps and fat. What does it mean?”
Artem sighed.
“It means that humankind has arrived in our part of the galaxy - for good or for ill.”
“It’s definitely not for good,” stated Thalia. “And I don’t want anything to do with them. People who go around planets destroying and killing others should be stopped.”
: Bad people : agreed Josei who had been listening in : The Vada does not consort with bad people :
: You are quite right Josei. We certainly don’t want anything to do with them :
“Artem?” she asked then in a soft, worried voice. She kept her hand in his. It was warm and comforting. “What are we going to do? When they find out Max is gone they’re bound to start looking for him. What if they track us here?”
“Thalia, I’m more concerned with the question as to whether they found what they are looking for. There must be something we’re missing. Normal people don’t send three Quorkos to a planet with instructions to kill everything that moves. No, they have to be searching for something. Why did they take Max? What are these dragons and wolves they asked him about? Why are they here?”
“How are we going to get out of here?” she countered. “We have to evade these new humans. We have to get in touch with the Diaglon. When the Atacarino, the Aikko and the others don’t make contact they will send others to investigate but until then? They can’t just leave us here!”
“If you remember Thalia, I said they will come. I know they will come but we have to try to make contact. The ‘how’ eludes me however.”
“We must leave this cavern. We’re too close to the hill,” insisted Thalia. “We must go northeast to where Jvldr and Rsya are looking for Belu. He has the communications unit.” She shivered. “I don’t like it here any more Artem. I’m scared.”
He put his hand round her shoulder and she leant into him.
“I agree with you,” he answered. “We leave tonight, whether Max is recovered enough to ride or not.”
* * * * *
By evening Max was largely recovered from his ‘adventure’ as
the envious Mikey was calling it. After the artificer was able to stay awake for appreciable lengths of time he started asking questions and asked so many that Max had to be extricated from the boy’s attentions through devious ploys designed to distract.
At last however, Artem ordered that they must make their preparations to leave and Mikey became a ‘busy little vuz’, scurrying here, there and everywhere picking up things and generally helping. He didn’t realise that Thalia and Katie had placed some equipment in out of the way places so that he had to go and find them.
Slei approached Max who was sitting watching the activity and bowed.
“It is my honour to offer my services for the duration of our stay here,” he said formally.
“Thank you,” answered Max, in equally formal tones.
“I cannot keep in contact with a mind to mind bond,” continued Slei. “But I will do my best audibly. Keep yourself strapped in to the harness at all times Max as I will not be able to give you an instant warning in times of emergencies.”
“I’ll remember,” Max promised. “Is Mikey riding with us too?”
Slei grinned, showing off his perfect, white teeth.
“He was hinting,” he replied, “but I fear he is doomed to disappointment. He rides pillion behind Christel. Her Lind, Samei is large and strong and Christel is what Larya calls a ‘lightweight’.”
Max laughed, imagining Mikey’s chagrin when he was informed of Artem’s decision. Christel didn’t try to hide the fact that Mikey irritated her and was quick to chastise him if he annoyed her, which was always. Mikey usually tip-toed round Christel, in vain attempts to evade her sharp tongue.
“It is Christel’s face that I wish to see when Artem tells her,” agreed Slei. “Ah, Thalia comes to tighten my harness and to help you to mount.”
Thalia was indeed approaching.
“You okay to ride Max?” she greeted him cheerily. “Good, then let’s get you aboard.”
: Quite as if Slei is a boat : ‘said’ Josei in an aside.
: I won’t tell him if you don’t :
* * * * *
Nalya and Talya and the twins exited the cavern first. They were to do a sweep round the vicinity checking if there was any pursuit then swing round and follow the others.
Artem had said that as no such signs had been detected during the day, a night pursuit was very unlikely.