Alien Caged (34 page)

He yelled at his remaining men as he fired at the oncoming Earther crew.  “Hold this room!  Re-establish control over the entrance!  Keep the Earther captain alive!”

Oret reached the front of the wall of his grimly fighting men and aimed to one side of Walker’s head.  His line of sight was clear and he fired.

The air rippled between Oret and Walker, showing the passage of the percussive blast.  An instant later, the Earther captain jerked violently to one side.  He fell to the floor unconscious and bleeding, but alive.

Walker going down seemed to re-invigorate Oret’s small force.  They pressed forward for a few precious seconds, driving back the Earthers enough that Oret soon stood over Walker’s inert body.  Knowing their advantage was only momentary, Oret ordered, “Evacuate!  Fall back by squads and get to the hiding place!”

He grabbed Walker, lifting the smaller man easily to sling him over his shoulder.  Without waiting another second, Oret raced to the maintenance tunnel opening and climbed in.

He heard his men following him, the ones not tasked with the suicidal mission to hold the Earthers off while everyone else escaped.  As the passageway before Oret narrowed, the Nobek realized getting his hostage to the hiding place might slow them down, necessitating the deaths of more of his men.  He set his mouth in a grim line.  The decision had been made and there was no going back now.  Oret hoped it had not been a mistake to spare Walker’s life.

* * * *

Robards walked into main engineering as soon as the last percussion blaster echo died.  They had reclaimed the heart of the battlecruiser with heavy casualties on both sides, but it was under Earther control again, by God.  From here, he should be able to restore ship’s functions.

He stepped gingerly over the dead, Earther and Kalquorian alike, the bodies tangled in some cases.  The alien carcasses would be shoved off the ship as fast as possible.  His men would receive hero’s funerals, remarking their unwavering loyalty to God and Earth.  Perhaps the Holy Leader himself would deign to officiate.  Robards felt a tremble of excitement at the idea of being in the same room as the Voice of God.

As Robards made his way past the largest knot of twisted, partially disintegrated bodies, a member of his attack force opened the door to the storage area.  Nearly half of the engineering crew stumbled out alive.  The tactical officer eyed them with surprise and some suspicion.  The Kalqs had allowed some of the men to live?  The cowards must have surrendered without a fight, he surmised.  No doubt Captain Walker would congratulate them on managing to survive.  And where was the woman Elisa Mackenzie?  He saw no sign of her among the former prisoners, nor did he spy a feminine form among the bodies.

For that matter, where was Walker himself?

He grabbed the closest man to him, who just happened to be a familiar face.  This man was a small, self-important weasel, but one who had been a decent tool these last few weeks.

Ensign Remington stiffened to feel someone’s hand on his skinny bicep.  He quickly found a modicum of respect when he realized who had tagged him.

Robards barely acknowledged the hurried salute.  “Where is Captain Walker?”

Remington was almost beside himself with excitement.  “He went in first to fight the Kalqs, sir.  There’s no sign of him anywhere.  They must have taken him prisoner.”

Robards’ gut clenched.  “Some Kalqs got away with the captain as a hostage?  How?”

“One guy said they used the maintenance shafts, sir.  The cover’s off.  Do we pursue?  It’s awful close quarters in there for fighting.”

Robards looked at the small opening to the maintenance tunnels.  The hatch was indeed left open.  It was big enough for a man to walk into, but he knew the shafts narrowed substantially farther in.  Close quarters didn’t begin to describe them.  Any man going in after the aliens would be a sitting duck, especially considering how much better Kalquorian eyesight was in the dark.

He scowled.  “Any sign of the woman?”

“No sir,” several voices answered.

More men had gathered around him, looking to Robards for orders.  For the moment, Robards was at a loss.  Walker being taken hostage was an unforeseen wrinkle. 

The tactical officer and Chase had planned to unload the weak captain at their first opportunity.  Walker volunteering to fight should have given them the added advantage of using him as a martyr.  Robards had been delighted that Walker had dove headfirst into fighting.  It had put the younger man out of range of his blaster, but Robards had figured on a shot from the Kalquorians to finish Walker off.  The captain had stampeded the enemy in a suicidal rush that should have gotten him killed.

That had apparently not happened, and Robards ground his teeth in frustration.  It would have been so much better for there to be a dead body to infuriate the men with.  However if the Kalqs made Walker a hostage, that might give him and Chase more trouble than they’d bargained for.

Robards marched over to the computer bank.  “Fuck chasing them for the moment.  What I want to do is get the ship’s commands back online and re-establish control on the bridge.  Set up guard around that hatch to make sure none of those bastards doubles back to take potshots at us.  The rest of you, make sure all these on the floor are dead.  If you find a live Kalq, kill it.  Engineering crew, help me get this ship back online.”

He’d let Chase worry over what to do about Walker being taken prisoner.  Command fell to the first officer anyway, so he could deal with this unforeseen occurrence.  Robards had his own concerns. 

With the confused engineering staff hovering at his shoulders, some asking about food and medical care, Robards punched commands into the main system.  “Damn it, we’ve got a major situation!  Unless you’re dying, get on a fucking computer and re-establish helm and nav control now!”

There was a little grumbling, which Robards normally would not have tolerated.  However, the computer he worked on refused to comply with all his attempts to regain control over the ship’s heading and speed.  The damned thing was completely offline except for the security links he’d established to get past the buffers.  None of that was useful in allowing anyone to fly the battlecruiser.

His heart sinking, Robards and a couple of engineers fought the computers for a few minutes, trying to find a way into the helm and nav controls.  Nothing worked.  Then three of the computers suddenly switched off.  They refused to power back up.

An engineering lieutenant yelled as his fingers flew over the console in front of him.  “There’s a virus in the system, knocking everything out.  I’m shutting down the computers that still work before the entire thing is compromised!”

Robards stepped back as the humming console silenced and all the vids blinked off.  The lieutenant turned to him.  “Sorry, sir.  You’re going to have to get some techs in here to clean the system out.  If we power back up with the mess the Kalqs left, we could lose all ship’s systems including life support.”

Robards wanted to throttle the man, simply because he was convenient and telling him shit he didn’t want to hear.  However, it wasn’t the lieutenant’s fault.  Attacking him would not win Robards any followers either. 

Fighting with everything he had for control over the screaming rage unleashing in his head, Robards said, “Get this damned thing up and running again.  Do whatever it takes; haul in whoever has the least bit of knowledge that will fix this mess.”

“Yes sir.”

Robards stepped away from the console before he could give in to the urge to tear it apart.  He looked over engineering, at all the dead bodies, at the open hatch through which his enemies had escaped, and at the dark and useless computer console.

They’d gotten to the heart of the battlecruiser only to discover it had been torn out.  He’d failed and the Holy Leader would not be pleased.  Unless they managed to get the ship back online, Browning Copeland would turn his back on them.  If he ever heard the name Alec Robards, it would be attached to failure, undeserving of praise. 

Robards gave in to the dismal fury choking him and screamed at the dark entrance to the maintenance tunnels that mocked him.  “You fucking freak Kalqs!  Damn you!”

* * * *

Elisa gasped with shock when Captain Walker followed the arriving Nobeks out of the maintenance tunnel.  A small rivulet of blood ran from his left temple to his jaw, and the shoulder of his uniform was shredded, showing more bloodied flesh.  He blinked with dazed confusion as he gained the better-lit cargo bay, as if not quite sure where he was.

Elisa’s amazement almost eclipsed the enormous relief she felt to see Oret emerge behind the captain.  Had Walker not been there, she would have flung herself into the Nobek’s arms.

Her captain’s arrival kept her from performing such an act, however.  Walker’s gaze fell on her and he stopped short despite Oret prodding him forward.  Then Walker ran to grasp her by the upper arms, his gentle, handsome face hinting at a smile.

The captain almost sounded as if he sobbed when he said, “Elisa, thank God you’re all right.  You are all right, aren’t you?”

Touched that he’d been so worried for her, Elisa said, “Yes, Captain.  I’ve been treated very well.”

At her back, Miragin said, “You’ve been injured, Walker.  Medic?”

An Imdiko wearing what Elisa had discovered to be a medical badge hurried forward.  He examined Walker as Oret and three other Nobeks stood over the Earther captain, guarding him. 

“Near-miss blaster wounds,” Oret informed the medic.  He sketched a bow to Zemos as the Dramok joined them.  “I thought he might make a good hostage, Captain.”

Walker snorted and shook his head.  “You thought wrong.  The first officer and tactical commander are in charge.  I’m only a figurehead.  I think they were planning on making me a martyr, in fact.”

Oret’s brow rose.  “You fought quite violently for someone at odds with his crew.  Like a man with nothing left to lose?”

Walker gave the other Earther in the room a rueful smile.  “My only hope was to rescue Elisa and get us to a shuttle.”

Elisa blinked at him.  “Captain?”

“The Holy Leader told me to kill you for having been ruined by our enemies.  How could I do that?  None of this is your fault.”  Walker’s gentle smile dropped off as he looked to Zemos.  “I’m no good to you.  You might as well finish me.  I only ask you make it quick and that you keep Elisa safe.”

Before Zemos could respond, Oret spoke in an insulted tone.  “She is to be part of our clan.  Her safety is my greatest priority.”

Walker gave his captors a horrified look.  “Keeping her for your lusts is not keeping her safe!  Zemos, you are not an animal.  I can’t believe a man of your integrity would do such a thing!”

Elisa felt a stab of pity for him, and that decided her once and for all to openly declare her intentions.  “Captain Walker, they’re not taking me as their Matara against my will.”

She sensed Zemos, Miragin, and Oret react to her statement.  However, it was Walker’s face that she watched.  His undisguised shock made her want to cringe, but she managed not to.  Her decision was made, and she would live or die by it now.

In a quiet voice, Elisa told Walker, “I’m sorry, especially since you risked yourself to save me.  I am grateful to you with all my heart for making me a priority, Captain, but there’s nothing left for me where Earth is concerned.  Earth is gone.  I want to be Clan Zemos’ Matara.  I love them, and there’s nothing more to say about the matter.”

Despite believing all she said, despite the delighted smiles growing on her clan’s faces, Elisa still felt a profound sense of betrayal.  The guilt crowded in tight, especially as Walker stood silently, the nonplussed expression refusing to leave his face.  She couldn’t imagine what he thought of her.  She didn’t want to know the terrible things that must be running through his mind right now.

Before Walker could begin to shout condemnations and accusations at her, Elisa turned her back on him and walked away.

She had gotten halfway across the cargo bay when Zemos’ voice stopped her.  “That was very brave of you to confront him like that, Elisa.”

She turned to find him and Miragin right behind her.  Oret and the Nobeks guarding Captain Walker were leading the him to a far corner.  The Earther man looked shockingly small and defenseless next to the Kalquorians, so much so that it made her heart ache.

Elisa’s voice sounded deflated to her own ears.  “Brave?  I’ve been sentenced to death.  What choice do I have but to go with you?” 

Miragin had looked happy, but a crestfallen expression chased that emotion away.  “Then you do not actually want to be with us?  You only said it to defy Walker?”

She reached out and took his hand.  “No.  That’s not true; I do want to be with your clan.  You three are everything to me, Miragin.  I had already chosen you before Oret brought him here.”

Zemos clasped her other hand.  “I cannot imagine the pain you suffer right now.  That I am any part of it troubles me.”

Elisa sighed.  “You didn’t ask to be here.  Neither did I.  But here we are, and I’m not sorry.”

“I’m glad to hear you say so.  I’m not sorry either.”

The two men smiled at her.  Elisa felt the warmth of their regard and wrapped it around her heart like a blanket.  She was theirs.  How long she would remain so depended on how long they could hold out.