C j barry unearthed 01, p.5
C. J. Barry - Unearthed 01, page 5
She glared at Pitz. “Why were you shooting at him?”
Pitz answered, “We were engaging in a tactical exercise. Cohl utilizes them to keep his skills honed. He was fine until you screamed and broke his concentration.”
Tess’s mouth dropped open. “What was I supposed to do when I saw you shooting ten guns at him? Do you really think that’s a fair fight? He’s only got one.”
Pitz sounded indignant. “His weaponry is his choice.”
“And,” Tess continued, “you’ve got all that armor. He has nothing. Look at his shoulder.” Then she gasped and pointed to his head. “And his ear.”
“Will you two shut up? You could wake the dead.”
Tess looked down at Cohl, who was rolling over on his back with a long groan.
“Oh, thank God.” She wasn’t sure where to put her hands and settled on his forearm. “Don’t move. Mr. Sahto is getting help.”
Pitz clicked softly. “I gather the exercise is over for the day, sir?”
Tess glared at him. Cohl sat up with great effort and casually waved the robot off. “Yes, thanks, Pitz. We’ll try it again tomorrow.”
Pitz whirred away.
“What?” Tess choked out. “You can’t be serious. That shoulder is going to take a long time to heal.”
He looked at her, his face serious and somber. “In another situation, you could have gotten me killed.”
Tess backed up in surprise as he pushed himself to his feet and added, “You need to trust and not distract me, Tess. Your life may depend on it someday.”
“Oh, right. I’m going to trust a man who kidnapped me.” She stood up, brushing off her flight suit and berating herself for having cared. Maybe if he got shot, she could go home.
His eyes narrowed. “I did what I had to. We all have to make tough decisions sometimes.”
She glared at him. “Well, I for one don’t like your decision.”
In his eyes, she caught something flash. Sadness? Regret? For her?
After a few moments, he answered steadily, “Believe me, no one is more unhappy about this mess than I am.”
Cohl took the chair next to Pitz on Speculator’s bridge and rolled his shoulder. After twenty-four hours, it was almost back to normal thanks to the healing-accelerator injection from Witley.
The hyperspace engines hummed, bringing him closer to Yre Gault and a past he’d tried to forget for ten years. With any luck, he wouldn’t be staying long enough to dig up many unpleasant memories. Repair the ship, convince Tess to cooperate, and get out. Sounded simple enough. Then again, nothing was simple with Tess.
“How long do you estimate the repairs to the ship will take, Pitz?”
Pitz spun his head to Cohl. “Two days, six hours, and twelve minutes.”
Cohl dragged a hand down his face in frustration. “Longer than I’d anticipated. Rommol is not going to be happy.”
Pitz said, “It is hardly your fault that the Traka-Sou discovered his plan.”
Cohl gave him a hard look. “I doubt Rommol gives a damn about that.”
“We could take one of Yre Gault’s military ships,” Pitz suggested.
Cohl considered, then shook his head. “No. It would take a while just to train my crew on a new ship’s operations. Besides, I know what Speculator is capable of, even if it lacks the firepower I’d like.”
He looked at Pitz. “We need to fix that.”
Pitz’s eyes flashed. “Yes, sir. I will add ancillary armaments to the maintenance list.”
Cohl nodded. “Once we get to Yre Gault, I want a status report every four hours. I need to arrange another rendezvous with Zain when the repairs are nearly completed. Is the protection I ordered in place for our arrival over Yre Gault?”
“It is.”
The added military presence was welcome but Cohl knew it was largely for show. After all, Military Operations had done nothing to prevent his father from being kidnapped. Even now, they had no idea how such an act had been carried out right under their noses. Yre Gault’s Mil-Ops was wholly ineffective, and Tess’s safety would ultimately be his responsibility.
“You’ve notified my mother?”
Pitz answered, “Of course. She is looking forward to meeting Tess.”
Cohl nodded. “Did you explain the situation to her?”
“Yes. She will help in any way she can.” Pitz paused. “She said she is very eager to see you.”
He took a deep breath. Guilt, thick and suffocating, descended over him. This was the first time he’d be home in a decade, and he knew his parents had missed him. But going home meant giving them hope that he’d stayand that was the last thing he’d want to do.
“How long before we reach Yre Gault?”
Pitz made a humming noise. “We will drop out of hyperspace in thirty-two minutes.”
He had only a few days to find a way to get Tess to trust him. Both their lives would depend on it. The legend and rumors of the horrors surrounding the hiding place of the Demisian Amulet worried him. He’d been through worse acquisitions, but not with someone else tagging alongparticularly someone who didn’t take orders well. But first, he needed to get back on speaking terms with her.
For some reason he couldn’t fathom, she was angry at him for the incident in the shuttle bay. He was the one who should be mad. Instead, she had successfully avoided him for the past day by spending every minute with one crew member after anotherno small feat on a ship this size.
He glanced around the empty bridge. “Where is everyone?”
“In the crew lounge,” Pitz responded.
Cohl frowned. “What are they doing there?”
“Unknown. Tess gathered them.”
“Hell. She’s probably planning the takeover of my ship. I should have known better than to leave her alone this long.”
Cohl shot from his seat and stormed down the corridor to the crew lounge. As he drew near, he could hear a steady beat, music and laughing. What was that?
Nothing could have prepared him for the spectacle that greeted him when the crew lounge doors parted. A funky, lively tune blared at high volume from the room’s speakers. In the center of the chamber his crew was dancing around in a circle with their hands linked. He watched dumbfounded as his entire adult crew stopped and started tapping their fingers together at each other, flapping their arms, wiggling their butts, and pecking and strutting like a bunch of crazed birds.
Tess was yelling over the music and laughter, “A little bit of this and a little bit of that, now clap your hands.” Clap, clap, clap, clap.
Everyone doubled over, laughing. Another circle went by, the strange chant and bizarre dance, before Tess noticed him standing at the door.
She smiled and waved to him. “Cohl, come and join us.”
Every member of the crew stopped and turned to him in unison. Their faces dropped one by one.
He stared at Tess as a steady roar filled his ears. “I don’t think so. Computer, music off. Don’t some of you people work for me?”
Within seconds everyone had cleared out except Tess. She planted her hands on her hips. “Well, I hope you’re happy.”
He walked toward her, anger burning him up. “Happy isn’t even close to what I feel right now. Who do you think you are commandeering my crew for your idiot dance?”
She gaped back at him indignantly. “Idiot? The only idiot here is you. For your information, the chicken dance is an enormously popular number at weddings. We were just having a little harmless fun. In case you hadn’t noticed, you run a very boring ship.”
He kept advancing on her, the fire building with every step. “Fine. We’ll all be enjoying ourselves when the Traka-Sou blow us to bits.”
She didn’t back down, even when he was nearly on top of her. The clear challenge in her green eyes only fueled his own fire.
“You might be able to scare off your crew, but you don’t frighten me.” She narrowed her eyes. “You hate that, don’t you? That you can’t control me.”
“I’m in no mood for this, Tess,” Cohl growled, fully aware that she was pushing him, testing him, and he couldn’t do a thing to stop her.
She grinned. “That’s it, isn’t it? You can control your crew and your ship and your life, but not me.” She bobbed her head up and down. “That makes you crazy.”
“That’s enough.”
She poked him in the chest. “When was the last time you danced or sang or did something just for the hell of it? For a hotshot space cowboy, you sure lead a dull life.”
He could smell her now, that scent she wore. “Stop it, Tess.”
She thrust her chin at him. “Make me.”
He reached out and grabbed her by the arms, slamming his mouth over hers with all the frustration he’d built up over the past few days. The fire exploded within him in a surge so hard it nearly brought him to his knees. He couldn’t get enough, couldn’t stop. His hunger took over, devouring her, delivering her into his fire. She’d started this; damned if she wasn’t going to burn along with him.
But she wasn’t burning. She trembled under his hands like a captured animal. Reality snuffed the fire. He broke off the kiss and thrust her away. Her eyes were huge, her breathing rapid, her expression stunned. And for once she was speechless.
“We will be arriving at Yre Gault shortly. Get ready to leave.” He turned and walked out, cursing himself silently. She’d pushed him to the edge and over, broken his control. How could one small woman do that?
Somewhere along the way to the bridge, he broke into a reluctant smile. He’d finally found a way to shut her up. Coincidentally, it also turned out to be an effective cure for his itchy hands.
* * *
Chapter Five
Tess walked around the spacecraft sitting in the center of the shuttle bay. It looked like a giant flying beetle with its flat body and fins for wings. “What is it?”
Cohl glanced up at her from some son of electronic pad he was reviewing with Sahto. “It’s a transport shuttle. Short-range. Speculator needs to stay space-docked in order to be repaired properly. That’s our ride to the planet.”
Tess looked it over again. It looked awfully small and flimsy. “Can’t we just beam down to the planet?”
Cohl frowned. “Beam?”
She took in his confused expression and waved him off. “Oh, never mind. Obviously, you aren’t that advanced yet.”
Tess looked away quickly from the deep scowl on his face, careful not to provoke him. She was still recovering from that kiss and wasn’t about to push him again just yet. A shudder ran through her. He had shocked her with his raw power and animal hunger, his total possession of her. She had been right. He didn’t scream or yell or throw things when he got mad. He simply kissed her within an inch of her life.
Cohl handed the device to Sahto and murmured a few last-minute instructions. Then he led her toward the open door of the shuttle with Pitz tagging along behind.
“Why does Pitz have to come along?” Tess whispered.
“He’s my protector,” Cohl answered as he helped her through the shuttle door.
“Your what?”
He showed her to a front seat and strapped her in. Tess noticed he was careful not to get too close or touch her. Interesting. Maybe she wasn’t the only one being careful.
“My protector. He was assigned to me when I was a child. I’ve known him my entire life.”
He slid into the seat next to her.
“Your best friend is a robot?”
“You have something against robots?”
She shrugged. “No, but is that normal for your people?”
He punched at a console in front of him. “No.”
“So why do you have him?” she asked, exasperated. Getting information out of the man was impossible.
He cast her a glance with those golden eyes. Hunger flashed there, taking her breath. “I’m specialor hadn’t you noticed?”
Before she could reply, the shuttle lifted off. It shot out the gaping shuttle bay door into endless space, and Tess clutched the arms of her chair, a soundless scream stuck in her throat. There was nothing above or below them, just a million stars dotting the black canvas of endless space. Her breath came in short, hard bursts but utter fear quickly gave way to awe. The experience was incredible. Impossible yet real, its beauty humbled her before greater powers. Here was a startling reminder of how very small and insignificant she really was in a universe too vast to fathom. How could one person make any difference at all?
In the front window, Yre Gault hung before her like a colossal Christmas ornament with swirls of blue, green, and white.
“Oh, it’s beautiful,” she whispered in reverence.
Cohl glanced at her, then went back to his console. “How are we doing, Pitz?”
From behind them, Pitz replied, “Clear. No unusual activity. Military Operations has secured the area.”
“A miracle,” Cohl muttered.
As the planet drew near, Tess was able to pick out the green land masses and vast blue water. Mountain ranges appeared in long ridges that sliced across the land like deep furrows. Narrow ridges ran in parallel lines and crossed the seas where only the tops peeked above water. Yre Gault was a striped world of endless mountain ranges, some surrounded by land, more by water. The topography transformed from an impressionistic painting to reality as they made their way deeper into the planet’s atmosphere. She could see white etchings along the tops of the protruding land like intricate carvings in relief. Closer yet, and the carvings came to life as cities stretched from edge to edge atop even the smallest mountain peaks. Domed objects became buildings, intersecting lines turned to streets, dots into people.
They glided toward a particularly large city, a diamond-shaped island between two deep crevices. From the very edges of the sheer cliffs, streets converged into a starburst center circle where five massive statues of giant men stood proudly in the nucleus, looming and watching over the land. Trees, tall and massive, lined the streets. Canals of blue water crisscrossed and pooled into square lagoons. Every structure gleamed white, as if carved from the same block of pure, virgin stone.
Between the buildings, bold, bright fabrics worn by pedestrians flowed like a rainbow river of brilliant color, lively and alive. A kaleidoscope of flags waved from every rooftop in welcome.
“What is this place?” she asked Cohl.
“Caldara. The capital city of Yre Gault.”
She cast him a quick glance. He was watching the controls with utter concentration.
“Pitz told me that your mother will be greeting us?”
Cohl didn’t look up from his panel. “Yes.”
Tess crossed her arms. “Your conversation skills leave much to be desired.”
“I know.”
She glared at his profile and turned back to the planet. They were descending at an ungodly speed toward a sprawling ivory compound with a series of interconnecting buildings and lush courtyards.
Suddenly they were below the level of the compound, in the shady chasm surrounding Caldara. Balconies lined the white stone cliffs but other than that, there was nothing below them for what looked like a mile. Tess couldn’t figure out where they were going to land until a giant sheet of metal slid out from the cliff just beneath them.
Cohl and Pitz exchanged landing procedures, and the shuttle thumped to a stop in the middle of the metal landing pad. Tess looked out. All she could see was air.
She licked her lips. “I hate heights. Did you know that?”
Cohl unstrapped himself. “No, I didn’t. The landing area is bigger than you think. Ready?”
She looked at him, trying desperately not to panic. “Don’t let go of me.”
He hesitated a fraction of a second before he smiled and reached over to unstrap her harness. “I won’t. You are safe here. I promise.”
She took the hand he offered and stepped out through the rear hatchway into an alien worldand came to an abrupt halt.
It didn’t matter that she was miles above the bottom of a chasm. It didn’t matter that there were no railings around the small landing pad. She gazed down the length of the canyon and forgot everything else. Massive. Breathtaking. Unreal. The words came to her in the face of endless cliffs of stone. Vines as thick as redwood trees hung down the steep slopes like garland, covered with great clusters of flowers. Long, flat spacecraft resembling open-bowed racing boats hovered in thin air. Standing atop them, workers were harvesting the giant petals and piling them high in the ships.
Then the breeze hit her with a fragrance so strong and exquisite she rocked on her feet. Cohl slipped an arm around her waist, anchoring her. Tess breathed in the intoxicating smell and nearly moaned with pleasure.
“Smells good, huh,” Cohl was saying in her ear.
“I think you could get drunk on it,” she said with a lazy smile. “Is it the flowers? I’ve never seen any that huge.”
Cohl chuckled. “I did notice the ones at your home were pretty puny.”
Tess whirled on him. “Hey, I worked hard on those marigolds. It’s not my fault there was a drought this summer.”
His laugh echoed across the canyon as he led her off the landing pad and through a doorway into the side of sheer rock face. Just inside, a single guard nodded once and admitted them down a long corridor.
Cohl explained as they walked. “Yre Gault’s chief export is rare perfume and dyes from those flowers, as well as various other plants and some insects. The planet is largely agricultural. Technology is the chief import.”
Tess shivered. “Insects?”
“You don’t like insects?” He shot her a side glance, then nodded at another guard stationed at the entrance to a wider corridor.
“Does anyone?” Tess grumbled.
They emerged into direct sunlight, and Tess raised her face to an alien sun. It had been days since she’d seen or felt the familiar heat of a sun, even if it wasn’t hers.
She found herself in the center of a magnificent courtyard, lush and crowded with bizarre plants. The surrounding white stone walls of a three-story residence glistened in the sun like a blank canvas. Terraces of flora meandered around statues of posed men and women amid fountains and carefully manicured foliage. Someone had one hell of a gardener.
