Page 163 of Pets in Space 10

“Twenty-three despoilers. The commander, a couple others with rank, the rest regular militia. Twenty-two colonists. Would have been twenty-four, but a couple modules landed in the river. They floated downstream. We never saw them again.”

“Weapons?”

“They all have rifles. Maybe half have pistols.”

Only a dozen attacked the campsite. “How did you survive for more than half of a year?”

Samson’s eyes closed. “Not everyone did. There’s this big cat-thing that killed a despoiler and a colonist. Lost a couple more colonists to accidents. Despoilers sacrificed another to their gods.”

Lace shuddered and he squeezed her fingers, fixing his gaze on Lochan. “Four of us ran after that. Two died in the woods. Only me and Lace made it to the mountains.”

“How long ago?”

He looked at Lace. “Three months?”

She nodded. “Think so.” She looked at Adele. “What sevenday is it?”

“Forty-second.”

“For truth?” She turned to Samson. “We’ve survived this planet for almost seven months. Never expected that when they were shoving me into a module.”

Before Lochan could ask about the despoiler camp, Adele asked Lace for her story.

It was not much different from Samson’s.

She came from a family of farmers. Like many, they leased their land from one of the major agra-cohorts.

After several bad harvests, they could not pay the lease fees, and the cohort took their equipment in payment.

With no means to farm, they had no choice but to work as laborers.

When the recruiters came, she and her two brothers signed on, planning to send for their parents once they were established.

With a bleak expression, she said. “My brothers weren’t part of the group pulled to load supplies. They didn’t make it off the freighter.”

Lochan considered the woman. He was not yet ready to trust either of them, but easing her sorrow might offer some leverage. “They may yet live. The armada captured the freighter and took it to Fortuna. The survivors are being held there while the authorities sift the despoilers from colonists.”

Lace straightened. “How can I find out?”

“Help us get rescued and destroy the despoiler camp. In return, on my honor, I will contact Fortuna on your behalf.”

***

Adele found it less and less likely that these two were a danger. Lochan must have agreed. He put up his pistol and gestured for her to do the same. “Adele, would you grab some bars and water from our satchels? For all four of us. We need to form a plan.”

The gift of food and water softened the refugees’ wariness and they both became more forthcoming, detailing the location of the despoiler settlement. From their explanation, the camp was at the edge of the woods on a bank overlooking the river.

Lochan’s eyes narrowed. “That must be thirty miles from the container field.”

Samson was chewing a huge bite of bar, leaving Lace to answer. “They found collapsible carts in the containers. Had three when we left.”

Adele broke off a piece of her bar. “How many passengers can they carry?”

“Four including the driver, if two rode in the storage area.”

She looked at Lochan. “Sounds like the carts the geologists use, but they make a distinct hum.”

Lochan wadded up his wrapper. “They could have stopped a half mile from our camp and snuck up on us.”

“With only three carts, it would explain why only twelve attacked.”

“Or they lost more of their troops. Samson did say that a despoiler died in the first months.”

Samson swallowed. “Wouldn’t leave the colonists unguarded.”

That also made sense. Adele was about to ask about the ransacked containers when Rogue trotted up, a strip of dried meat hanging from his mouth. Clearly proud of his hunting prowess, he dropped by her feet and began to devour his prize. “Where did you get that? And where is your harness?”

Casting a glance around the rock, she found the leash trailing toward the cave entrance, ending in the tangled harness.

She had no idea the puppy was so stealthy.

It also explained where he found his meal.

Chagrined, she turned to Samson. “I apologize. I had no idea he could slip free of his harness. He does not like the bars and would not know to stay out of your food.”

Samson chuckled. “It was getting too hard to chew anyway. He’s welcome to it.”

Sighing, Adele collected the harness and leash.

Lochan shook his head. “I doubt that is necessary. There is no question he is bonded to you. He will not stray far from your side.”

“Bonded after two days?”

“According to Adriana, it happened with Blue almost instantly.”

She did not doubt him, but it seemed so unlikely. “I still think he is safer in the harness.”

Rogue swallowed the last of his meal and eyed the harness with skepticism.

“I know, but you were not born on this planet, and I doubt your genetic memories include tigers.”

Eyes wide, Lace asked, “Tigers?”

“Those large cat-things are tigers.” Adele slid the harness over Rogue’s shoulders, ignoring his disgruntled expression. “Those large deer-things that roam the plains are equines.”

“Horse? We ate a horse?”

Samson patted her shoulder. “Better us than one of them tigers. That meat kept us alive.”

Lochan gazed at the sky. “It is past midday and no sign of a flyer. Ours or theirs.”

He focused on Samson. “I need to plant a signal beacon somewhere in the open where we can monitor it and remain hidden. It needs to be either near the top of this mountain or in an area at least a half mile in diameter so the signal can escape the mountains.”

“There’s a place near the lake. Sheltered from sight, but no cave. A storm comes through, and we’ll be soaked.”

***

Lochan disliked returning to the area where they left the wreck and their gliders.

There was too much risk of another despoiler encounter.

But after escaping the despoilers, Samson had survived in these mountains for three months and they could not afford to search aimlessly for a better site.

Having Lace join their little band was not ideal, but he could not fault Samson for not wanting to leave her.

He held his tongue when Adele reassured the pair that the Nightingale would rescue them.

Whether rescue or confinement, Raleigh would not allow the pair to remain at large in the mountains.

Allowing Samson to lead, Lochan kept an ear on the sounds of Adele descending behind him.

Descent was far less strenuous than the climb to the cave, but the way was steep, and a false step could send her tumbling.

Now that he did not need to hold a pistol on Samson, he was carrying an extra satchel, but she would not let him carry all three.

He wished she would let the dog roam; having its leash looped around her wrist would not aid her balance.

Far sooner than he expected, they rounded a curve and reached the ledge overlooking the lake and smoldering wreck.

He wished the emergency satchels held distance-viewers.

From this vantage, he could see the shimmering lake, but the remains of their gliders were hidden by the dunes.

If the gliders were not visible, neither were any threats.

Adele came alongside him and followed his gaze. “No sign of rescue?”

“No, but more importantly, there is no sign of anyone hunting us.”

“Maybe they think we escaped.”

“We dare not count on it. In the light of the exploded flyer, it would have been hard to miss that we were not gaining altitude.”

Rogue whined and leaned against his restraints, bringing a smile to Adele. “He enjoyed the lake. I think he wants to go back.”

“He is right. We should get there as quickly as we can.” According to Samson, the trail ended a hundred paces past the wreckage. After that, they would be in the open for a mile before returning to the shelter of the mountain.

As the slope gentled, it widened. Lace moved up to walk with Samson, and Adele came to Lochan’s side. Some of his stress eased. With Adele where he could reach her, and both their guides where he could see them, he felt in better control.

He did not need Adele’s chiding expression to know he was bordering on paranoia.

But the fact despoilers had been camped on the planet for months, elevated his customary wariness.

He might not triumph if it came to a battle with a dozen or more armed despoilers, but they would not take him alive.

The notion of Adele in their hands dried his mouth and froze his heart.

The south lip of the trail was no more than knee-height when Rogue darted to the length of his leash, sniffing at weed tufts that were scattered over the trail bed. Adele chuckled and skipped a few steps to ease the tension on the leash. “I wonder what he found?”

Even hunted by despoilers and lost to the Nightingale, Lochan felt his lips curve at the sound of her amusement.

He did not wonder how she had become so important to him in so short a time.

Even without their current predicament, exploring the Thirteenth System was a dangerous endeavor.

They all accepted the risk of death when they left the beaconed expanse.

That, along with the wonder of these unknown planets, heightened the senses and created an intensity of experience common to battle.

Coming abreast of the dog, he said, “Whatever it is, we cannot linger.”

The trail was gone, replaced by dirt and pebbles that disappeared into the dunes a few paces east. Until they reached the rocks that would shelter them, they were exposed.

Ahead, Samson and Lace were already at the dunes.

According to Samson’s directions, they would cross the dunes to the pebble beach and turn north for almost a mile.

Giving the leash a gentle tug, Adele said, “Come on, Rogue. There will be plenty to explore further on. You might even get to play in the water.”