Page 28 of Warrior (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #2)

Daisy

I heard them well before they entered the common area.

George and Ewok chattered excitedly about how to make the guards think a monster called the Lieriti occupied the tunnels.

There was a hint of regret in Daicon's voice when he informed them a full-grown Lieriti wouldn’t fit in the tunnels—the creature grew as big as a battle cruiser.

I don't know what caused this particular topic of conversation but was relieved to hear the monster wasn't nearby.

My three best guys sauntered into the light, covered in dust but looking elated, all things considered.

“What’s going on?” I skipped down the stone steps. Ewok broke into a run, greeting me at the bottom with a tight hug.

“We broke through, kida!”

"Good job!" I slipped an arm around Ewok's shoulders while reaching out to rub the fuzz atop George's head. It felt like the down of a baby chicken.

Daicon stopped a few feet away, hands on his hips in a casual pose. His expression suggested I would celebrate with him later. I looked forward to it.

"Where is everybody?" George glanced around for his comrades who returned over an hour ago.

“Asleep,” I announced. “Where you guys should be.”

Ewok shrugged, pulling away from me. "We got plans to make." He and George wandered toward the table where I'd begun laying out dinner.

“So, we can get to the dock?” I stepped closer to Daicon. He drew me against his side, and I cuddled close, the film of dust and dirt he wore like a suit ignored over the warmth and strength of his embrace.

“The three of us did a bit of recon,” Daicon murmured, brushing my temple with his lips. “The lay of the tunnel allowed me to get a good look at the dock and available ships.”

"Is there one we can use?" My heart jumped. Whether, from excitement at the prospect of escape or the way Daicon's hold tightened, I couldn't tell.

“Yes. The same one the guards are planning to use to leave.”

I cocked a brow, lifting my chin to meet his golden gaze. “Won’t the guards have a problem with that?”

“Yeah,” Ewok called, the wad of bread in his mouth muffling his voice. “What are we going to do with the guards? Kill them?”

“Ewok!” I scolded, pulling out of Daicon’s hold to level my best scolding glare at the boy.

“We’re not going to kill them,” Daicon replied indulgently.

Gripping my hand in his, Daicon pulled me toward the table, hooking the legs of a chair with his foot and pulling it nearer for me.

He grabbed another chair and settled close, but not before snagging a hunk of bread for himself. Luckily, I baked a lot today.

“How are we going to get past the guards?” George frowned. I could see the wheels of his brain sifting through the logical aspects of our escape.

Daicon took a bite of the bread, giving a grunt of pleasure as he chewed. Who would have thought being sold as a caretaker on an alien moon would improve my cooking skills?

“What are we going to do about the guards?” I pressed.

“Let me worry about that?” Daicon insisted.

“There’s too many.” George frowned. “By my calculations, there are nearly thirty guards in total. Much too many for you to handle alone.”

Daicon snorted, squaring his shoulders, and giving his best cocky warrior glare. Yet the deep golden eyes flickered with concern.

“ Aljani guards lack proper training. Their kind depend on technology not skill for warfare.”

“Unless they outnumber someone thirty to one,” I countered, gripping his forearm tightly. The muscles rippled under my touch. I love that I did that to him. “Standing alone against thirty guards is suicide.”

Ewok and George snorted in agreement. Daicon met my gaze, and with just a look, I knew he would consider his life well lost if the children and I got away safely. I couldn’t stand the thought.

"What about a diversion?" George suggested.

“What kind of diversion?” I glommed onto the idea. I’d grab onto anything to keep Daicon from facing the soldiers alone.

"Something big enough to draw the guards away from the dock to give us time to steal the ship.” Daicon gave George an approving nod, and the young Garoot preened.

“What about causing a cave-in?” Ewok suggested.

"The guards are getting ready to destroy the entire mine. I don't think they'd care about a cave-in." George shot Ewok a disappointed glance.

Ewok grunted a concession.

“It will need to be something the guards will worry about.” Daicon tapped his lips with a forefinger.

Despite the danger and worry looming in the air, I couldn't help but remember how those lips felt on my skin.

I shuddered, something he mistook as fear, and Daicon scooted his chair closer, laying his arm across my shoulders.

George and Ewok looked between each other, pleasure at our togetherness curving their lips.

Something warm and perfect floated over me like a pour of warm, spicy honey.

Ewok jerked, his dark eyes going wide. “I know! We could steal some of the explosives from the mines and set them off. Make the guards think we might disrupt their plan to blow up the mine.”

My mouth opened, intent on arguing the defect in his idea. I didn’t want the kids or anyone else near those explosives.

“That’s not a bad idea.”

I gaped at Daicon. “That’s an awful idea.” I turned my attention to the boys, pointing a stern finger between them. “I don’t want either of you around those explosives.”

Ewok rolled his eyes while George grinned. I was too startled to respond.

“Kida, they set the charges in the active tunnels. We saw them.” Ewok sighed.

They’d already been around those explosives. The guards set the charges where the children worked—while they worked!

Bastards!

I must have made some kind of movement. Daicon’s hand tightened on my shoulder.

“Making the guards think the younglings have foiled their plans might be enough.”

“Enough for what?” I demanded, wiggling under his touch. I intended to oppose this ridiculous plan, but the tickle of desire his touch generated didn’t help maintain my antimony.

“Enough of a diversion to give us a chance to get on that ship."

“Won’t they shoot at the ship once they realize we’re on it?” I worried. There was no way to get us off this rock without putting the children in danger.

"I doubt they'll risk blowing up the dock," Daicon snorted. "Besides, the Aljani troop carrier we want is shielded. Once we get everyone aboard, we are safe."

Safe. It was a concept unfamiliar in this dark, dank mine, save for the moments in Daicon's arms. He was safety to me. He meant protection for the children. What was I worried about? He'd keep us safe despite the danger of escaping. I knew that.

“What’s the plan?”

Ewok grinned. “We steal some explosives and set them off in the common area. We can make a lot of noise, and the guards will think we're rebelling."

I glanced at Daicon, but his eyes were sweeping over the room.

“You know, if the younglings could draw the guards into this area and seal off the stairs, it would be a trap.”

"So, we would use the children as bait?" I resisted.

"We can use the supper tunnel to escape," George suggested, his eyes going toward a small opening in the stone.

“Not a bad idea. I am impressed.” Daicon grinned at the boys.

"How much explosive will we need to use?" I knew little about demolition. Dynamite was the only explosive I could name. The idea of the children involved with explosives made my stomach hurt.

“It depends on what type of charge the guards are using.” Daicon pondered. “If we’re lucky and they’re using a nitrate-based explosive, it’s possible to extract the nitrate from the fuel.”

“What does that mean?” He lost me at lucky.

“It means we get the bang, but not the destruction.” Daicon grinned and leaned over to press his lips to my cheek. George and Ewok giggled on cue.

I felt a tad relieved. “So, when do we do this?”

Daicon glanced skyward, the light filtering through the dome waning into a pale lime green. "Tomorrow morning. The Aljani I met at the skiff said the guards are most vulnerable at dawn."

“Dawn?” I gulped down the wad of fear rising in my throat.

"We're out of time, sweetling," Daicon said softly. His golden gaze bounced between Ewok, George, and me.

The boys nodded to the warrior at my side.

Nothing in their expressions spoke of childish innocence.

It was bad enough the guards made them slave away in the mines all day.

Now, they had to act like soldiers to boot.

It broke my heart. When we got away from this place, I would make sure they got to act like children, free from worry and fear.

Everyone will be returning from the mines soon," George said thoughtfully, glancing toward the tunnels.

"Ewok and I will retrieve the explosives once the tunnels are empty." Daicon's voice was matter of fact, not laced with anything but determination and confidence. I forced the corners of my lips upward, trying to quell the nerves rolling in my stomach.

"We need to figure out who's the fastest through the supper tunnel,” he continued.

“Why?”

Daicon’s eyes flickered to mine, and I saw regret for what came next. “Those are the younglings who will act as bait for the guards.”

For a moment, I seriously considered vomiting. My hands lay in my lap, clasped tightly together. Daicon moved his arm from the back of my chair to curl his fingers around mine. His touch felt warm and strong, and a soft sigh escaped my lips—although the worry remained.

"Can't I be bait?" I suggested, watching Daicon's eyes narrow. He recognized my question didn't come from bravery, but something beyond that. It didn't matter that each of us came from a separate point in the galaxy. These were my kids! I would do anything to protect them.

"You are brave, sweetling." Daicon's finger trailed down my cheek.

"But for the ruse to work, the guards must believe the younglings have disturbed the plan to destroy the mine.

We only need a few to act as bait. Most younglings will be in the tunnel, ready to board the shuttle as soon as I can clear the dock. "

“We can do races after dinner to see who’s the fastest.” Ewok suggested with a grin.

“Good idea.” I ruffled the hair on the top of his head.

“Fast and small enough to maneuver the tunnel easily,” Daicon agreed.

Since mending and sewing tended to be part of my daily tasks, I’d fabricated a measuring tape out of a piece of rope marked with lines.

It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough to measure the circumference of the smallest part of the tunnel and the girth of the children chosen to navigate through it.

"George, while Ewok and I go after the explosives, you'll need to make sure they can get to the upper level and down the tunnel to the breach in a couple of minutes," Daicon told him.

George’s pale blue head dropped in a nod, but I saw his eyes narrow, plotting the distance between here and freedom.

Walking from the common area to the docking tunnel took around fifteen minutes.

Of course, most times, the going was slow and careful, keeping to the shadows conscious of the possibility of running into a guard.

Hopefully, the guards would be preoccupied tomorrow, and the children would be running on adrenaline.

We all would.

"I want to be part of the bait team," George announced, his head snapping upward in a proud tilt.

I bit my lip to keep from protesting, but nudged Daicon with my elbow. George was as tall as me, but he was slender, probably not much bigger around than the smallest child.

“I think that’s a good idea.” Daicon laid a hand on his frail blue shoulder. “Every team needs a leader.

“What team can I lead?” Ewok didn’t hide the envy in his voice.

Daicon shifted his grip from a blue shoulder to a furry one. “You’ll need to lead the group waiting in the tunnels while I clear the dock.”

"Clear the dock," Ewok repeated, gazing into Daicon's eyes. A slow nod was his only answer. Daicon didn't need to say it. No one did. The warrior at my side would ensure no one remained alive in the dock area to harm me or the children.

It was a testament to how much I'd changed. Not just in the forty-some-odd years my body regressed, but my mind was different... my soul. Sure, there were places on Earth where the life and death struggle in this mine was commonplace. I’d done enough mission trips to know that.

My life on Earth used service and the idea of peace to fight against atrocities.

Now I knew that sometimes one had to fight and kill to protect the innocent.

Knowing Daicon would do that for me, and the younglings not only made me feel safe. It made me feel proud. Proud enough to want to be a part of the fight to protect the children.

“What’s my job?”

Three sets of wide eyes turned to me.

“Kida?” The pride in Ewok’s eyes made me preen a little.

The corners of Daicon’s full lips turned upward as he watched me. I saw the moment an idea sparked to life in their golden depths.

“You get to set off the explosives.” The grin Daicon wore turned into a wicked smile.

Oh crap!