Chapter 7: Sidney

I stood on the wide station porch and watched as several men continued to unload the filthy sheep from my trailers. I smiled as the tiny woman pressed against my side and spoke, “Did you ask them to wash the trailers?”

I looked at her, “Aye.”

She nodded as she looked around, “That is good because I am bloody not going too.”

I grinned and then frowned as the comm relay chimed, “I thought you shut that off?”

She grinned as I lifted the small relay screen and froze when I saw the encrypted message. She bumped me, “What is it?”

I looked around as I tried to think, “Trouble.”

I stepped off the porch, “Come on.”

I had taken extra precautions over the years and hoped they paid off. We were a week away from Globe, the capital and star-port. Behind my truck cab I pulled the two hover bikes off and went into the center storage box, “Grab a bag.”

Emily did not ask questions, she climbed into our truck to shove clothing into a bag. I pulled two bags out of the storage box, “Alex!”

I strapped one of the bags onto a bike as a large man walked back from the trailers, “What is up?”

I glanced at him as I stripped, “People are going to come asking about me. Leave my rig behind the station.”

He nodded and looked at Emily when she climbed down, “You going walk-around?”

I shook my head, “I am going to war.”

I put the camo uniform on and added my personal weapons before securing the bag on top of the other. I looked at Emily as she sat waiting on the other bike, “I told you what I was and that this day might come...”

She growled, “Shut up and get on the bike before I beat you.”

I grinned as Alex chuckled and glanced at him, “Stay safe.”

I swung onto the bike and started it before accelerating straight north into the green fields with my mate following. I went over the alternate routes back to the star-port as I turned east and went behind a ridge. I glanced back before continuing along the side of the ridge and then turned north and went into a narrow gully through another ridge.

I turned west when we came out and made room for Emily to move up beside me. It was getting dark when we approached the tall sandstone ridge. I slowed and then stopped as I looked at the small herd of hoppers. They were not like earth marsupials, they had fur but were actually reptile. Emily barely hesitated as she lifted a rifle and fired, “Clean it while I get a fire going.”

I smiled and shut the bike off, “We need to get under cover.”

She snorted as she swung off the bike and started collecting sticks. I shook my head and went to skin and clean the animal. I was always amazed at what Emily could do and this time was not an exception. An hour later I had a full belly and we were slowly riding between sandstone and into a narrow tunnel. I switched on the light and led the way as I continued to ride.

I stopped in a wide cavern with a hole in the roof. It was close to midnight as I swung off and stretched. I pulled a poncho out of my bag as Emily hurried into the dark. She came back slower and smiled as she laid beside me on the poncho and put her head on my shoulder. I held her as I thought about and hoped the tunnels had not collapsed over the years.

They led all the way to the edge of Globe. Of course there were gaps between some of the ridges but for the most part we would be hidden. I was up early and stretching before Emily got up and pulled a couple of rations out of her bag. Several hours later I slowed as we were reaching one of the openings. I stopped short and Emily pulled up behind me, “What is wrong?”

I was looking at the cavern in front of us with the slit leading out but something had changed. I shook my head before swinging off the bike and moving forward slowly. I pulled my pistol at the slight sound of sand shifting. The huge shape flowed away from a wall and towards me as if it was just a hump of moving sand. I aimed and fired three times.

The sand shark thrashed around emitting subsonic screams that made my head hurt. When it stilled I looked around before moving to check it and then turning to the bike. Sand sharks were like a snake, it did not have legs. They had a camouflage system like a chameleon and blended into whatever they were on. The mouth was very large with several rows of razor sharp teeth.

I shook my head before holstering my pistol and heading back to the bike. Emily grinned and let me lead the way out and across the kilometer gap before entering another tunnel. This time I went slow since it had been raining outside. Water fell from the roof holes as we kept riding and I came into a central cavern for this ridge.

I looked at the pool of water that seemed to fill the whole cavern and glanced back, “Wait but follow exactly where I go.”

Emily nodded as I turned to move along the left wall with water pushing away but coming back to wet my feet. When I reached dry ground on the other side I stopped and turned to watch Emily. When I saw the ripples I pulled my pistol and aimed, “Faster!”

The huge lizard surged out of the water as she accelerated and it missed. I fired and turned to watch the water as she pulled around me and stopped. I grinned, “Wait until tonight.”

She smiled and glanced back, “Get moving you lazy boy.”

I turned as I put my pistol away and started moving. It was almost dark when I came out of the ridge to another gap. Emily turned and slowed before stopping, I stopped and looked back as she got off and went behind a bush to go to the bathroom. A minute later I heard the shot and was off the bike and running. I came around the bush where she was and she pointed to a dead hopper, “Dinner.”

I put my pistol away, “One of these days I am going to spank you.”

She grinned and put her pistol away, “In your dreams.”

I went to clean the hopper and put it on my bike before leading the way into the next set of tunnels. I did not go far before stopping for the night. Emily made a nice dinner using a small stove and I sat holding her after as I tried to think about what could be waiting. It was a few days before we came out of the tunnels and stopped, now the hard part would start.

I led the way using gullies as I watched the storm clouds gather. We came in from the stockyard and I slowed as I used one of the sheep runs. I parked beside a large warehouse and got off. I undid the straps holding my bags and slung one like a pack and shouldered the other. I reached out as Emily walked up and took her bag, “Remember how to get to the Dodge House from here?”

She nodded and took the lead as I followed. I watched the shadows and alleys as we left the pens behind and entered streets with one story houses and wide porches. The flash of lightning showed four men spreading out in front of us. I was tempted to stop and pull my pistol, a man appeared out of the shadows right in front of Emily, “What do we have here.”

He was sneering as she started and kicked out, “THIEF!”

The man folded over holding himself and dropped to the ground as the other three men moved forward, “Do not move!”

I shifted and waited as Emily stopped kicking the downed man, “What ... who are you?”

The men looked at each other and one shook his head, “It is not him.”

Emily put her hands on her hips, “I asked a question lad.”

One of the men looked at me and grinned, “We are soldiers lady and we are here looking for traitors to the council.”

Emily snorted, “You cannot be a traitor to the council moron. Only the emperor or the empire, now get out of our way so we can get home.”