Ava withheld further protests as she watched him slip away, moving from tree to tree with a confidence she couldn’t help but admire. I wouldn’t worry if you didn’t smell so damn good, she commented.
His chuckle filled her head, sparking a smile. I can’t possibly smell better than you, he returned, his voice deepening almost to a growl. I love your scent. Especially when you’re writhing in my arms. And I lack your enhanced senses.
She smiled. You may lack my enhanced senses. But you do have a freakish ability to turn me on with just a few words.
He rewarded her with another chuckle.
Long minutes passed, chock-full of silence that fed her anxiety.
The leapers grew bored after a time and wandered away.
When Ava tuned in to his thoughts, she found Jak’ri concentrating on moving swifter through the trees without making a sound.
I don’t think you’ve told me what you do on Purvel now that you’re no longer in the military, she said when she could take the quiet no longer.
I’m a sahstin jin.
What’s that?
I don’t think there’s an equivalent on your planet. I’m… an atmospheric scientist. Or rather I specialize in the generation of atmospheres in uninhabitable environments. My people wish to terraform our moons the way the Lasarans terraformed theirs. So I’m working with other scientists to accomplish that.
Damn. He was the full freaking package: hot, funny, brave, honorable, affectionate, and incredibly smart. Wow. How’s that going?
Not as quickly as we’d hoped, he responded wryly. Most of the oxygen on my planet is produced by tantiorcea.
That didn’t translate.
Floating plants in our oceans.
Oh. Right. I think it’s like that on Earth. I remember reading that phytoplankton produce up to eighty percent of Earth’s oxygen.
The same is true on Purvel. Our early efforts to bring the ice on our largest moon’s surface to a temperature that would allow the tantiorcea to thrive failed. But we’ve made some progress since then.
He went on to describe their successes and failures, the vegetation they’d coaxed into taking root on the moon’s surface, the algae colonies they’d managed to grow. It fascinated Ava. And saddened her, because his brother had pursued the same profession and had been by Jak’ri’s side the whole way. And she could see how painful the prospect of moving forward without Ziv’ri was for him.
Jak’ri also expressed his frustration with the governments of Purvel. He, Ziv’ri, and others in their field had petitioned Purvel’s sovereign repeatedly, trying to coax him into accepting Lasara’s generous offer to aid them in their terraforming efforts, should they decide to join the Aldebarian Alliance. But he refused to do so unless the governments of all six provinces agreed to it. And some of those in power remained determined to go their own way, insisting they would be beholden to the Lasarans if they accepted aid even though Princess Amiriska had made it clear that any help offered would be a gesture of good faith on Lasara’s part, one ally aiding another.
Forgive me, he said after falling silent a moment. I didn’t intend to vent my frustration. Did I bore you?
No. I’m fascinated by it all. And I admit I find myself… I don’t know… stunned or maybe embarrassed by how far behind Earth is technologically from all of you out here. Uneasiness slithered through her as she contemplated it.
Tell me, he encouraged, sensing her unrest.
Ava sighed. I just… don’t know what my place would be in your world. I mean, in what way could I possibly contribute to your society? I’m guessing my college degree, which constitutes advanced education on Earth, won’t seem advanced at all on Purvel. So what job would I possibly qualify for?
He went silent for a moment. Would it surprise you if I expressed the same fears of finding my place in your society if I traveled to Earth?
Jak’ri on Earth? Oh. No. You do not want to travel to Earth, she told him emphatically. The slight silver hue to your skin and the scales that are visible if someone looks closely enough make you appear less human than Lasarans. And if anyone outside of the Immortal Guardians crew saw you, the dumbasses in power would hear of it and do the same thing to you that they did to Ami. I mean, Princess Amiriska. They would torture you and experiment on you like the Gathendiens did.
And look for ways to destroy my people?
Yes. They’d do it in the guise of national security, claiming they needed to find a way to defeat your people in case you ever decided to invade Earth.
Purvelis don’t invade other planets.
I know. But that’s the justification Earth would give for capturing and torturing you.
He was silent for a long moment.
Sorry, she said. Earth kinda sucks that way.
Well, you needn’t worry about finding a place on Purvel. My people will welcome you and—drek!
Her eyes widened. What is it?
Gathendiens. They’ve already found the escape pod.
Dismay swamped her. They were that close already? How many are there?
He went quiet for a moment. Thirty. And they brought sedapas.
Those spiked lizard things they use for hunting?
Yes. The grunarks are already dividing into groups to search for us. And the ground is dry. The storm must not have extended this far north because it looks as if no rain fell here, so they’ll have an easier time tracking us.
Ava thought furiously. Can you take them out with a senshi?
No. If I emit a senshi powerful enough to incapacitate or kill this large a contingent, particularly now that they’re scattered, it will be powerful enough to reach you.
All the way back here?
Yes.
Damn. That was powerful.
Were she at full strength…
No. Even if she were at full strength, Ava wasn’t sure she could take that kind of damage. A couple of Immortal Guardians had suffered brain trauma once that—according to rumor—had exceeded the regenerative capabilities the virus lent them. Even Seth, the immensely powerful Immortal Guardian leader with his incredible healing gift, had feared he couldn’t repair the damage completely because he said brain injuries were more difficult for him to heal.
If Jak’ri’s senshi incapacitated her, there were no immortal healers around to come to her aid. And she knew there was no way in hell he would leave her behind.
Get to the cave, he urged her.
Ava didn’t hesitate. Swiveling, she headed back the way she’d come, not wanting to slow him down. Jak’ri moved so much faster through the trees that he might very well catch up with her before she reached it.
As she picked her way carefully through the broad branches, her mind raced.
How could the two of them defeat thirty Gathendiens and their hunting lizards if they couldn’t take advantage of Jak’ri’s senshi?
We can’t, he said. We could if we had some Z-12s.
What are those?
E-grenades. But we don’t. We only have the O-rifles and tronium blasters.
Are the sedapas slim enough to make it inside the cave?
Yes. And, given enough time, the Gathendiens can cut their way in.
Then we’ll go with Plan B.
I don’t see any other choice.
Ava reached the tree they’d climbed up and slowly started down it.
Her whole body trembled as she felt for toeholds. Whenever she and Jak’ri had climbed the cliffs of Runaka Point, he had caged her between his body and the rock wall, leaving her safe in the knowledge that he’d catch her if she fell.