The dim light of the forest began to fade. “We should wash and return to the cave soon.”
Nodding, she gave her furry friend a last pat and rose.
The leapers, already learning their daily pattern, grabbed the bits of fruit he and Ava hadn’t finished and scurried away with them.
Jak’ri smiled as he took her hand.
Smiling back, she leaned into his side and hugged his arm.
They had neither seen nor heard any Gathendien craft yet.
No Purveli, Lasaran, or Segonian craft had arrived either.
The second didn’t surprise him, considering how far from Aldebarian Alliance–occupied space he and Ava were and the likely instability of the qhov’rum.
But the first troubled him. He knew little about Gathendien fighter craft. The ones the escape pod’s computer had shown him had not looked Akseli in design. So he had no idea how quietly they ran. Lasaran craft were utterly soundless. Both Purveli and Akseli engines were muted, yet still produced a faint hum he thought Ava would be able to detect with her sharp hearing.
But how quiet were Gathendien fighter craft? He had no memory of the craft the grunarks must have used to capture him and Ziv’ri. Had it been noisy enough to warn them, though, he would’ve thought he and his brother could’ve evaded them.
As always, thoughts of Ziv’ri drove a spike through his heart. But grief didn’t halt his current concerns.
Jak’ri also didn’t know how many soldiers the fighter craft could carry. He’d attended the Aldebarian Alliance biannual war games as part of a Purveli delegation invited by Princess Amiriska of Lasara shortly before her disappearance. Select members of the military from each of the six provinces of Purvel had attended together, observing and listening intently as she carefully outlined the many benefits joining the alliance would bring.
“How long were you in the military?” Ava asked, her face lighting with curiosity.
“Three years. The law requires every citizen born on Purvel to serve at least three years in the military when we come of age unless we pursue an advanced education. Then our training is deferred until after we complete our studies. My three-year term was deferred, so I didn’t complete my service until shortly after Princess Amiriska disappeared.”
“Are women required to serve in the military, too?”
“Yes. Leaders of the six provinces on my planet may disagree on many subjects, but all believe Purvel will be strong enough to fend off enemies without allies as long as we prepare.”
Clearly they were wrong, though, he thought with a scowl. Their defense measures were so flawed they hadn’t even been able to keep Gathendiens from kidnapping two of their own from right under their noses. Had he and Ziv’ri been taken while they were on Promeii 7, Jak’ri would be more forgiving. A lot of crazy bura happened on that little planet. But on Purvel, where entry by alien species was supposed to be carefully monitored?
No. He intended to schedule a meeting with Purvel’s sovereign and the Planetary Defense Administration as soon as he made it back home.
If he made it home.
His thoughts returned to the war games. He’d seen ships and craft of nearly every size there. So he knew, depending on the planet of origin and the design, that fighter craft could accommodate between one and ten soldiers.
Ava whistled.
The leapers spun around and stared at her with wide eyes.
But she paid them little attention. “So when the Gathendiens arrive, we could be facing anywhere from three to thirty soldiers?”
“Yes.”
“I’m pretty sure we can kick three Gathendiens’ asses,” she said, her expression thoughtful. “Or six. Nine. Possibly twelve if we can start picking them off with rifles before they see us. And if I let hubris sway me, fifteen. But thirty?”
Even with her phenomenal speed and strength, he didn’t think they could defeat thirty.
“Don’t even go there,” she ordered with a frown before he could ask the next question that came to mind. “I’m not leaving you. We either fight together or we flee together. Everything else is off the table.”
Drek, he hated the idea of slowing her down and endangering her. He should’ve asked the computer back on the pod how many soldiers were aboard the fighter craft pursuing them. The computer likely would’ve just told him the capacity of the vehicles. But even that would’ve helped, giving them a general idea of what to expect. And he cursed himself for not thinking of it.
“I didn’t think of it either,” Ava murmured.
He wished he could’ve brought a data pad linked to the pod with them so the pod could keep them apprised of the location of those craft. But on this planet, even that miniscule amount of tech operating would’ve served as a beacon, letting the Gathendiens know where they were.
Had the three craft been the only ones sent after them?
What if the Gathendiens in those initial craft were being followed by transports carrying more soldiers, or even the warship itself? He had no idea how quietly any of those craft traveled. If neither he nor Ava heard the craft passing overhead, they would have no warning that the enemy was close.
“If their craft make any sound at all, I’ll hear them,” Ava murmured. “If they don’t…” She shrugged. “Once they’re on the ground, I’ll hear the Gathendien soldiers coming before we run into them. And I’ll scent them long before that. Those bastards smell worse than the baby leapers.” She looked at the furry little creatures that scampered ahead of them to the stream. “I’m thinking that even if we’re sleeping when the Gathendiens arrive, these little guys will alert us. They hoot a lot when they’re excited or nervous.”
He nodded, dreading the inevitable confrontation. He’d like to think the Gathendiens would get frustrated and give up the search if they covered the other half the planet first and didn’t find them …
“But they really want to get their hands on an Earthling,” Ava said, finishing his thought.
“Yes.”
“And a Purveli.”
He smiled. “Of the two of us, I believe you’re the more essential.”
Upon reaching the stream, they knelt and plucked the canteens from the bag he carried.
“Maybe we’ll luck out,” she said. “Maybe the good guys have already received your message and will find us first.”
He hoped so. Though he had to admit even that sparked anxiety.
She removed the seal on a canteen and began to fill it.
Jak’ri hesitated a long moment. “The Lasaran sovereigns will expect you to travel to Lasara after we’re rescued.”
Ava stared at the canteen she held just beneath the water’s rippling surface. “I know,” she said softly, then met his gaze. “But I’m more interested in traveling to Purvel.”
Something he wanted very much. Yet he forced himself to speak his fears. “You may change your mind once you’re back among your people.” She might decide she didn’t want any reminders of her suffering. And Jak’ri would be a constant reminder of the captivity and torture she’d endured.
What if she decided she would fare better without him? That she needed to move on and forget what had happened?
“I won’t,” Ava said. And her words carried not even a hint of uncertainty. “That’s how I know I’m falling in love with you and not just clinging to you like a drowning man would to a buoy.”