Chapter 15

You don't always make the wisest decisions in the heat of the moment with no information.

Chuck meditated on this important fact as he wove his way between tents and stalls in the alien bazaar, Rinda at his side. He had split them up. Taken the Orang, the obvious target of the feathered dinosaurs, and fled like a bitch in the hope the others could make it back to the ship without too much trouble. The fact this meant each group was now that much weaker hadn't occurred to him. The fact the others now had nobody who spoke the local language was also a downside running through his mind. Most importantly, though, was the realization that bridges dictated the routes back to the ship, and if they were all going to use the same bridges they might as well have stayed together.

If a decade of watching The Amazing Race had taught Chuck anything, it was that running without a plan was suicide. With that in mind, seeing no immediate danger he pulled Rinda into the shadows of a zebra colored tent and stopped, panting.

The damned gravity was also going to be an issue. He could tell that already.

"Rinda, check the map. Assuming the others are going back the way we came, find us a different route back to the ship."

She was looking at him, all four eyes round in awe.

"You shot them," she whispered. "All of them."

He shook his head, laughing tiredly.

"They were big and close together. I also hit the wrong one at least twice." He grabbed the water bottle from his belt and took a gulp. He hoped he hadn't killed them. Really hoped they survived. He had shot to kill, of course. He knew that much, that if you tried to wound you'd likely just miss. But, damn it, he was a future engineering major, not a soldier! They had been living, thinking people! For all they had seemed to be threatening Rinda in that strange language...

She was still staring at him, mouth agape.

"Map! Please, Rinda!"

Shaking herself, getting her mind back where it belonged as her training kicked in, Rinda quickly pulled the folded tourist map from her belt. As she looked, Chuck handed her his water bottle. She took a quick swig, handing it back without her eyes leaving the map.

"Thank you..." A moment later, nimble hands swiftly refolding the map neatly and returning it to its proper place, she nodded towards the south. "That way. We..."

A buzzing came from her belt.

Chuck watched Rinda grab the communicator, a sinking feeling coming over him. Moving together, they heard Daium's voice.

"Rinda! There's a Ludzie ship here! Get back here!"

Chuck closed his eyes, shaking his head. Well, duh. Opening them, he saw Rinda just staring at the phone in amazement as well.

"Um, we already know, Captain! We shot three!"

"You WHAT?!?"

Sensing this perhaps needed a human touch, Chuck gently took the device from Rinda's hand. She gave it up willingly, eyes on him, but Chuck had no time to decipher her expression.

"They were about to fire on Rinda. We split up: I have her, the rest are running back to you the way we came. I'm going to find a different way back, over to the outer ring then to you, in case they're hunting for Orang's."

There was a pause, Alicia's voice replacing Daium's.

"We're two platforms west of the ship. We'll wait for you at the next bridge we come to."

Rinda quickly whipped the map out, pointing to their position and the bridge in question. Chuck nodded.

"Sounds good. Only one bridge to cross to get to your platform. Gotta go and beat the alarm. Later."

Flipping the off switch, he handed it back to Rinda, leaning in for a quick kiss. Her lips kissed back almost desperately, trying to follow after as he pulled back.

"No time, my friend. Let's go."

Alicia turned off the phone, looking at her wife and husband-in-law in disbelief.

"OK, didn't expect this."

Daium was rooted in place, expression shocked.

"What ... what happened? We were supposed to be away from fighting! I didn't want this!"

"No time," Justin said, gaze quickly sweeping the Orang office. "Quick, anything we need to steal from here that we can get in five seconds?"

Daium shook her head, eyes following his, face still worried.

"No. Have all the data. Rest is nothing."

"Out, then!" Grabbing her hand, he half led, half pulled Daium out through the waiting room and onto the exterior staircase. Alicia was a step behind, closing the door to the spy center behind her. She doubted they'd be back, but regardless, there was no reason to leave it open to strangers. The trip up, in almost full Earth gravity, had been painful. The trip down was comically fast, half running, half falling. At least twice, only the railing kept her from just continuing forward at the bottom of a flight and going right off the platform. They reached the bottom with so much momentum they just kept running for a hundred feet, before slowing as gravity and aching sides demanded their due. Not stopping, Justin passed his water bottle around.

Alicia drank thankfully, taking a long swig and handing it back. Her other hand she kept near her pistol. They had practiced with the weapons. Not so much out of future need, or so they told themselves, but because it was something to do. The ship was, despite its size, small, as was their group, and boredom was always an issue. You couldn't just have sex all the time. Rinda had taught them the basics, drawing on her military training. There was only so much you could do in zero gravity, but target practice had definitely been on the agenda. Alicia had been good at it. It had surprised, and pleased, the blonde. Chuck joked that with her facial scar and a gun, she looked like a pirate.

At the very least, she could use a bottle of rum right about now.

They were in the middle of what on Earth might be called an office park. Buildings of various shapes and sizes, occupied by delegations from hundreds of worlds. Mostly private and commercial, from what Daium had been able to tell them, trading both for the products of this water world, and among themselves. This series of artificial islands was the planet's only surface habitat, condensing all their contact with the universe into one space.

Perhaps this was why it was so god damned ugly.

The trio passed between two rusting metal structures. Each loomed up over them about six stories, just boxes. Alicia liked her buildings pretty, stylish. At the very least, they should tell you what they are even without a sign. Like that one up there, next to the bridge. It was built like a seashell, yet looked menacing. It said military. It said, police.

So did the half dozen giant crabs blocking the bridge.

Daium halted, hand going out to the metal wall to keep her balance, the other two copying her lead. Alicia's hand crept closer to her weapon. Justin's eyes flicked down at the movement.

"Don't, Alicia. We're outnumbered."

"We ARE getting through."

He nodded.

"Alive, though. If we're going to fight, we need to hook up with Chuck and Rinda first."

"NO FIGHTING!"

Daium literally growled at her lovers.

"No fighting! I'll talk to them." Her eyes went to the center one. "I think that's the same one I talked to earlier. Let's go." Taking one step, she paused. "But ... be ready, my loves."

Daium was sweating under her brown fur. Damned sun. This planet needed trees. Glorious, tall trees with green leaves, providing shade, protection ... providing all that was needed for life.

This world had nothing but danger.

Ah, well. It served her right. She had picked the planet. Had the entire universe to choose from, and she had picked this for their first way station. They had to stop somewhere, and it had seemed far enough away.

Silly Orang.

Walking across the hot metal, deciding then and there that the human concept of "shoes" for things other than snow boots was one she really should adopt, she kept her gaze on the red Mard with the blue claws. Yes, it definitely was the same one she had talked to earlier. Its eye stalks were on her, and she took some comfort in the lack of any overt aggressiveness in the crabs as the three of them approached. They were simply blocking the bridge to the next platform.

"Dockmaster Vei," she greeted him, stopping just out of what she hoped was claw reach. Justin and Alicia stood on either side. Her protectors. Standing straighter, she drew strength from them.

"Captain Daium," Vei replied, voice deep and amused. "It seems your crew has run into some problems."

She nodded.

"I just heard. They were threatened, and defended themselves. We're returning to the ship."

"They fired on peaceful Ludzie crewmen, fresh off of their ship. Are you Orang THAT warlike that every dispute must be settled this way?"

HER people warlike? As if the Ludzie were much different?!

Daium willed herself calm. He was baiting her. If she struck out, his job was that much easier. The crab chuckled, as if taking her silence as agreement.

"The Ludzie ship brought news, as well. News of your planet Tanah."

She felt the humans on either side of her tense. They didn't understand the words, naturally, but both the taunting nature and the name Tanah had jumped out at them. She gritted her teeth.

"Yes. We know."

"And you did not tell us. Your ship did not broadcast your news to us, as is required. This is almost as wrong as what your people have done. Tell me, what do you think I should do?"

Oh, there were so many ways she wanted to answer that.

She heard something behind them, saw the guards looking over her head. Justin leaned his head closer and whispered.

"Chuck and Rinda."

She nodded. So. They were now two groups instead of three. All she had to do was convince this idiotic official in front of her that it was in his interest to let them go on their way...

Daium smiled.

It was obviously a disquieting sight. Dockmaster Vei seemed to rear back a bit, as did the guards on either side. She adjusted her glasses, all four eyes fixed on his.

"Yes. Tanah is no more. But, the Orang are. Our fleets have struck back. Taking vengeance, as is our right. Now, we are regrouping. Our warships and civilian transports. All converging on one system.

"Here."

Vei staggered back, as if struck. The others shot their eyes into the sky, as if warships were just then about to tear down onto their world. Daium just smiled wider.

"We are just gathering, naturally. We will not stay. It will be good for your economy, all those ships needing to be supplied. So long, that is, that there is no reason for them to be upset with you. We Orang, at the moment, are in a rather bad mood."

The Dockmaster's eyes narrowed.

"What do you want?"

"Free passage for all my crew back to the ship, and no hindrance when we take off. Delivery of any and all supplies they may have legally purchased from your fine merchants." She paused, considering. "You may also want to tell the two Ludzie ships now here they may want to leave the system rather quickly."