Page 28 of Captured By The Alien (Starbound #2)

Kara tried to wipe her face dry but it was impossible. The rain was so intense it plastered her hair to her head and ran beneath her collar in long streams down her back.

The other Potentials were faring no better. In fact, they were probably suffering more because they weren’t used to this kind of torrential downpour. Even the high-and-mighty Layahn resembled a drowned rat.

So this is the other side of the planet. It was certainly different. Kara and the others had arrived here soon after sunrise. Mercifully, the trip had been smoother than the brutal ride she’d endured to the palace. She’d had a seat for a start. But the new location wasn’t half as comfortable.

For a start, there was nothing here. It was a field, more or less. A wet, soggy field under glowering clouds and rain. Lots of rain.

Secondly, they were hungry and disorientated. They’d been woken well before dawn and ordered to get dressed. There was no breakfast and no explanation. Each of them had been handed a rucksack with instructions not to open it until the briefing.

After a high-speed quadrasonic flight lasting more than three hours, they’d been decanted into the dampness to find General Solarun waiting for them. She was the only one unaffected by the elements because a small generator hovered over her head, creating a force-field that kept off the rain. Wherever she moved, it moved with her. She was as dry as a bone.

Kara was jealous. Back on Minerva-6, she and Vahn had spent weeks living through downpours just as violent as this one. What they wouldn’t have given for a force-field generator back then.

“Welcome to the southern province of Vraxos,” said the general, ignoring their misery. “The climate here is, as you can see, far cooler and more precipitous than the north. Geographically, our agricultural sector begins fifty clicks west of where we’re standing. We will not be entering that area.”

Vysh leaned towards Kara.

“That’s where my sister works. Nice to know she’s not too far away.”

Ela pointed in the opposite direction.

“Ten clicks that way is the start of the Verudiun Wildwood Forest. It is uninhabited, except for indigenous flora and fauna. This will be the location of your first shaa’baara challenge.”

Everyone straightened, listening intently.

“You all have a rucksack which carries everything you need. You will be dropped in different but equi-distant parts of the forest. Each of you must find and retrieve a xantha sphere like this one.”

She clicked her fingers and out of the gloom flew a golden orb. It was about the size of a basket-ball, dipping and weaving autonomously through the air.

Kara knew what a xantha sphere was. She and Vahn had passed many hours on Minerva-6 talking about inconsequential things. One memorable conversation had been about childhood games.

Kara had maintained that building a den and swinging from an old tire on a rope were about the best things a kid could ever do. But Vahn had argued for xantha. Essentially, a high-tech game of hide-and-seek.

Xantha spheres were equipped with rudimentary artificial intelligence which allowed them to detect people moving nearby and conceal themselves. The goal was to find them.

“But when you do,” Vahn had said, “you have to grab them and hold on while they try to shake you off. And they’re strong. They’ll drag you round at breakneck speed until they deactivate. Or an irate adult yells out the shutdown code.”

“Sounds dangerous.”

“Yes. But exhilarating.”

Ela’s voice brought her back to the present.

“You will all wear one of these. Do not take them off until you are told to do so.”

She walked down the line of Potentials, handing each one a hinged metal bracelet. Kara snapped hers shut on the wrist which didn’t have Vahn’s braid. She was careful to keep that concealed under her sleeve.

“The area where you stand now is the finish line,” Ela continued. “You will rendezvous here when you complete the challenge, or when you hear the siren signaling that the challenge is over. Co-ordinates and a GPS map are in your rucksack.” The general paused. “The first nine who return with a sphere will pass through to the next round. Everyone else will be eliminated. Questions?”

Hespia raised her hand.

“How long do we have? Is there a time limit?”

“It will take as long as it takes. Hours, days, it depends on when you find the sphere. Yes, Vysh?”

“What about food and water?”

“As I said before, you have everything you need in your rucksack. Inyria?”

“What if we get into trouble and need help?”

“Then you’ll be disqualified.”

“Yes, but…”

“The bracelets are monitoring your vitals. Any untoward changes and we’ll come get you. Layahn, you have a question?”

“Yes, general. Are there any rules? Anything we’re not allowed to do?”

Ela gave a cool smile.

“The only requisite is to return here with a sphere. Now if that’s all, there are transport pods waiting for each of you. Take the one bearing your number. And may good fortune walk with you.”

Kara and Vysh clasped hands.

“Good luck,” said Kara. “If you see me out there, say hello.”

“Good luck to you too. Wait for me here if you get back first.”

Kara climbed into her pod. Nerves knotted her stomach. I can do this , she thought. It’s just a kid’s game, that’s all.

The hatch closed and the pod lifted smoothly. Its engines accelerated as it headed towards the Verudian Forest. She clutched at her rucksack tightly.

This was it. Shaa’baara had begun. She was about to play the most important game of hide-and-seek in her life.