The Chalice (36 page)

The ship burst from  the larger craft, soaring into space and then leveling off.

The clanging and shaking eased, the roaring settling into a m uted growl as the

small transport dove towards the surface. She wiped a hand across her mouth, grimacing at the taste. A quick perusal of the others confirm ed they weren’t in any better position—all except Shagal. Eyes closed, arms and legs crossed, he appeared to be sleeping.

One silvery eye peeked open. “Are you females well?” he asked appearing

unworried. “These old ships can be quite unnerving at tim es.”

“Unnerving?” she groaned, pulling herself into the seat. “That’s putting it

lightly. I thought we were going to crash.”

“Dam n thing doesn’t have seatbelts,” Dread grum bled, pulling herself upright as she rubbed a sore hip. “W hat kind of airplane doesn’t have seatbelts? And where’s the damn stewardess? I need a drink!”

“Me too!” Anne fingered her forehead where a small knot was form ing. “For

once we all agree.”

“You need water?” Shagal leaned over, opening a small storage com partment

and taking out a container. “W e have water but no food.”

“I don’t suppose you have some of that Ta’aran Nectar onboard, do you?”

His lips quirked. “You wish to gain courage?”

“And then some,” Dread groused, dark eyes narrowed. “That takeoff was a ball-

breaker.”

“We’ll be landing soon,” Mordaq’s voice interjected. “We can find nourishm ent

on the planet.”

****

Tegan kept watch on the transport’s progress, niggling thoughts of im pendingdisaster battering his beleaguered brain. It wasn’t safe for the females to go downthere! He knew it with every fiber of his being. He should have stopped the wholeridiculous escapade before it began.

It was too late now. In any event, he was a realist—and the reality was theyneeded supplies and energy coils. Could they achieve such a goal? He knew notbut success depended upon their ability to deal effectively with the greed-drivenmerchants and to avoid the crim inal elements rife on the barbaric planet—skillsnot easily acquired in a few short rest periods. Guilt gnawed at his innards. Thesefemales simply weren’t prepared for the diverse cultures existing in the outerfringes of the civilized worlds. A Chiagan-Se female’s introduction would havecommenced at the m oment of birth— not as an adult in an unfam iliar environmentsurrounded by alien creatures.

Disturbing mem ories rose to the surface. Though he’d not traveled to Protiabefore, he’d visited sim ilar outlands before the Deg’Nara purge. Droves ofunwashed and illiterate inhabitants crowded the earthen walkways, haggling withhungry vendors over exorbitant prices for the meanest tidbit. Males and femalesbrazenly paraded their bodies at every corner offering their deviated sexualpreferences to those who sought their services. Drug dealers eagerly plied theirunholy trade, addicting the unwary to the darker pleasures of life. Whatever abody desired, these settlements could provide. For himself, he’d not found thevisits pleasant. The stopovers were brief and to the point. He’d touch base withthose in com m and if any existed and then depart. The same standard applied herein this time— do what has to be done and then get out.

The females— and most im portantly— Kara deserved his protection. He trusted Mordaq and Shagal with his life, but would they have the same self-sacrificingcriterion for the Chalices as they held for him? His deep-seated faith in the twobreeders said they would and that belief provided some m easure of comfort.

He drew a deep breath and exhaled. He would place his bets on the huge

Warrior in any conflict and the artisan’s skills in passing undetected had proveninvaluable in the before times. If any of his com panions could guide and protectthe fem ales, these two were and would always be his first choice.

“Commander Kelos is hailing us,” Branos broke his reverie. “He would speak

with you.”

The Freedom  had retreated into deeper space, beyond the limits of the planet’s

security systems, watching and waiting. “W hy is he breaking silence?”

“He indicated the shadow’s appeared again on his screens.”

W hy would the shadow appear now? Just when they were at their weakest!

Hair rose on the nape of his neck. Something wasn’t right.

“Open com m unications,” he commanded.

****

Ume slipped into a short passageway followed by Hanna. Ahead of them  thehybrid rounded a corner and disappeared into a squad of Warriors. If she wasright, Siri was now headed towards the docking port.

“Ver is she goink?” Hanna hissed.

“My guess is the Deg’Nara ship.” She hastened her step, hurrying to catch

sight of their quarry.

The tall Swede strode ahead, ignoring the questioning looks of the males as

she cleared a pathway through. Once on the other side, Siri had vanished.

The big woman gazed down the corridor. “Vat do ve do now?”

“We head to the docking port. I have a feeling she went there.” She ran down the hallway, stopping in front of the small lift. From  the hums and clinks, the lift was in use. Frustrated, she glared at the control panel, cursing their luck.

“Is dere anodder vay down?”

“There is but it would take too long. We just have to wait for the lift.” Fists

clenched, she paced back and forth, willing the small elevator to return.

“Vat do you tink she is doink?”

“W hatever it is, it’s not good.”

The correlation between the hybrid’s furtive exit from  the females’ quartersand the team’s excursion to the planet was too coincidental to be anything butplanned. The ship was on red alert and Lord Tegan had m ade it very clear theywere to stay in their quarters and maintain silence. The alien fem ale’s blatantdisregard of com mand orders left Um e with little choice but to follow and observe.

In   all   respects,   her   responsibility   was   unquestionable— m aintain   constantsurveillance on the hybrid.

The journey to the lower decks took an eternity. By the tim e they reached thelevel housing the docking port, her nerves were stretched to the breaking point. Too m uch time had passed.

The door slid open and they stepped out. Activity on this level was limited toonly the most necessary. Most of the techs and support groups had m igrated tothe upper floors, called on to assist with added security. Minus the transport pod,the huge chamber was a graveyard, em pty of all but the Deg’Nara ship, thestillness reverberating with the ghostly echoes of the higher decks.

Ume shivered, unnerved by the motionlessness and chilled by the swirlingeddies of cold air. W hat did the m issionaries used to say? Someone’d walked overher grave.

“Maybe ve should go back,” Hanna whispered, sounding as nervous as she felt.

“Ve don’t know she’s down here anyvay.”

“She’s down here. I can feel it.” If she Siri wasn’t on this level and had

managed to move to one of the upper decks, their search would be all the more

difficult.

She hurried across the open space and peered into the small alien craft. Thelayout was as she rem em bered from  previous visits, simple and efficient. A quickscan of the interior confirm ed her suspicions. Siri wasn’t here. She worked herway through the storage containers lining the curving outer wall, convinced thefemale was hiding somewhere nearby. No luck!

Hanna stood watch while she searched, keeping an eye out for the hybrid or tostay the questions of the few curious breeders who happened by. “Vat do ve donow?” Her voice resounded, hollow and eerie in the vastness of the open space.

“We keep looking until we find her.”

“I vish Mordaq vas here.”

“You and me both,” she m uttered, angered afresh by the hybrid’s escape. Remorse weighed heavy on her conscience. She’d been handed the responsibility to guard the female, but she’d failed—simply and irrevocably.

Several small cubicles rimmed the far side of the landing platform, functioning

as command stations for the landing port. If Siri wasn’t in the Deg’Nara ship, she

had to be in one of those. There wasn’t any place else on this level she could go.

The first three were dark and em pty of life. The fourth was another matter. Anaura of soft lighting emanated from  m iniscule cracks around the door and window. She pressed her ear to the gap around the doorway, straining to hear. A voicefrom  within m urm ured incoherent m utterings. Someone was in there!

Waving her wristband across the control panel, she stepped to the side,

motioning for Hanna to do the same. The doorway slid open. Startled the hybrid whipped around, large dark eyes flaring, a com m unication device gripped in her long-fingered hand. Beneath her feet, a young breeder lay on the floor, neck twisted at an odd angle, silver blue eyes staring lifelessly. Even from  the entry, it was obvious he was dead!

Ume charged into the cubicle. “W hat the fuck are you doing?” she dem anded.

The hybrid reached behind her and flipped a switch. “What does it m atter?”

Hanna knelt beside the body of the young male. “You killed him,” she cried,running her hands over the im mature face of the dead tech. “Vy did you do dat?”

Siri sm irked, her trademark evil grin. “He was in my way.” The offhand remarkwas made with casual disregard for the sorrow of a lost life—an inconsequentialhappening of no importance.

Crim son suffused the Swede’s face. Enraged, she stood up, burning with whitehot fury. “He vas in your vay?” Her fists clenched, her jaw tensed. “I show youwho is in the vay!”

“Back off, Hanna,” Ume hissed, glaring at the hybrid, aching to rip the smirk

from  the ugly bitch’s face. “Think of your baby.”

“Yes, think of your baby,” Siri laughed scornfully. “A mongrel offspring

procreated by two diseased cultures too loathsome to be allowed to breed.”

“You go too far,” Hanna screeched, throwing herself at the hybrid. “I vill kill

you!”

From  her waistband, Siri whipped out a wicked-looking two pronged dagger,weaving it snakelike in front of the wom an’s face. “Go ahead female,” shetaunted. “Be the next to die.”

“Hanna!” Ume screamed.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“I feel like we just walked into a Star Wars movie.” Dread’s head swiveled as she took in the sights. She pointed. “That guy over there looks like a real live troll. Never believed I’d ever see such things.”

Neither did I, Kara thought. Weird and amazing creatures crowded the smalleatery, juggling for space at the congested bar. Most were humanoid inappearance, but there were also those who wouldn’t fit into any category sheknew. She sniffed, shuddering. The horrific odors outside were m ild com pared tothe ones in this stifling room . Human body odor had nothing on the sm ellsemanating from  guys! She edged closer to Shagal, m indful of Tegan’s warning.

The artisan caught her look. He patted her arm, shining eyes dancing withexcitement. The heated bargaining with the sellers had gone well and by nowtheir purchases were in the process of being loaded. He was in his element,clearly enjoying the pandemonium  of the m arketplace, aiding the wom en as theyhaggled over prices and whooping with elation when they scored a victory. She onthe other hand was more than willing to return to the ship. Her feet hurt, she washungry and exhausted beyond im agine.

“Stay near me,” he ordered, pushing through the bystanders. “This inn had a

good reputation in the before tim es, but I can’t attest to its standards now.”

She caught at his cloak, holding tight. He doesn’t have to tell m e twice!

Bigger than the average occupant, Shagal pushed his way through the m illingthrong and leaned against the counter, accom panied by Biker Chick the Brave. Illat ease and overwhelmed by the strangeness of their surroundings, the rem aining

women clustered nearby, casting surreptitious glances at the alien inhabitants who shoved and pushed in a rowdy bid for counter space. A grizzly looking individual thrust his begrim ed and inhuman face in Kara’s line of vision, eyeing her like a hungry dog after a prized bone. Her eyes slid away, head tilted down. If I don’t look at him, he can’t see me!

“Do you think we should be in here?” Goth Girl m uttered, eyeing the tightpacked crowd, black painted lips compressed in a frown. “Looks like a brawl just waiting to happen.”

“We go where Shagal goes.”

Tankers of steaming liquid were slam m ed down on the stone bar, turkey-sizedplatters of a stew-like concoction slid down an inclined ram p from  what sheassumed was a kitchen in the back and then shoved at the waiting mob. Drinkswere guzzled as soon as they were served and the food gobbled so swiftly, shewas astounded— and im pressed!

Shagal conversed with a buzzard-looking server—all nose and eyeballs—andthen handed over a length of cloth in trade. The creature fingered the goods andthen nodded. Several moments passed and then their food was delivered. W iththe balance and ease of an experienced waiter from  the best restaurant in New York City, the artisan hefted the plates to his shoulders and backed away from  thecounter.