like wisps of smoke.
Looking around, Yen smiled at his men. They had already moved into defensive positions around the square, ensuring that no counterattacking Terran forces could gain an upper hand while approaching down any of the main thoroughfares. Catching Buren’s eye, Yen motioned for the officer to join him.
Approaching, the Uligart looked eternally unhappy. “Sir?”
“Take your men and sweep around the outskirts of the park,” Yen ordered. “I’ll take my team and make a more direct approach. Our forces should be able to meet near the eastern side of the park, which was the last known location of the doctor we’ve been sent to retrieve.”
Yen could see the obvious disagreement cast on Buren’s face. Both the men knew that the outskirts mission was one that relegated the subordinate commander to little more than a supporting role while the primary commander, in this case Yen, claimed all the honors for the victory after making his direct attack. Though Yen had little time for the rivalry that Buren perceived, he couldn’t resist a small barbed attack to the man’s ego.
Buren sneered as he replied. “Yes, sir.”
“And Buren,” Yen said, his voice sickly sweet with false concern, “do be careful.”
“Like you care,” Buren snarled as he turned and walked away.
Yes, Yen realized, they would have to reevaluate their relationship very soon indeed. That, however, would have to wait for the time being. Motioning toward his team, Yen’s men took up positions on both sides of the road as they began their approach on the park.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
The street was cast in harsh shadows as the brilliant red sun began setting on the distant horizon. Half the town was swallowed by the darkness; the edges of buildings and darkened alleyways disappeared into nondescript lines that defined the separation between the structure and the ground on which it sat. A hot breeze blew across Pteraxis, carrying clouds of sand through the streets of the small mining town. The fine particles of sand settled over Keryn as she and Adam stepped into the street.
In the failing light, the town took on an eerie look. Shadows lengthened as they watched, giving them the impression of constant movement out of the corners of their eyes. They glanced from side to side, but they found only longer shadows and darkened corners. Where before the mining community looked like a ghost town, now it appeared as though the dead had awoken and sought revenge on the living. Just the thought of it made the hairs on Keryn’s neck stand on edge.
When a gruff voice suddenly whispered in Keryn’s ear, she nearly screamed in surprise before she realized that it was only her radio.
“Talon Six, this is Talon One,” Rombard called over the radio, his voice more subdued than Keryn remembered ever hearing it.
“This is Talon Six,” Keryn replied, her heart pounding in her chest.
“We’ve reached the corner of the alley and are ready to move in.”
Keryn shook her head, though she knew Rombard wouldn’t see the movement. “Negative, Talon One. Hold your position on the secondary street. Wait for my command.” Without speaking it aloud, she finished her thought: if we need you, you’ll know right away.
Having been inside when Rombard began pursuing Cardax, Keryn could only make assumptions on which alleyway the Oterian was cutting through. She had assumed that they would have plenty of sunlight left to find the smuggler before the red orb disappeared over the horizon, but the rapidly setting sun caught her off guard. At the rate the sun was disappearing, it would only be another twenty minutes or less before they lost the meager light they had remaining.
Motioning ahead, Keryn drew her pistol as she and Adam moved cautiously forward. Cardax was hiding from her, toying with her while they quickly lost their sunlight. In spite of the heat of the Pteraxis afternoon, Keryn felt a chill at the thought of getting stuck on the planet after dark. A knot formed in her stomach, as though her body was reacting to the unseen danger. The planet itself seemed to want them gone, and Keryn was all too willing to oblige once they’d captured the smuggler.
Though there seemed to be movement from every shadow, Keryn was still surprised when one of the shadows detached itself from the side of a building. Still a block away, the towering figure moved slowly and deliberately until he slipped out of the shadows and into the dim, red light. Even from a distance, the Oterian smuggler towered over both the Pilgrim and the Wyndgaart. Standing over eight feet tall, he was swathed in dark fur. His long horns bent forward like spears. Though the Oterian appeared to smile, it came across significantly more like a sneer of displeasure.
“Cardax,” Keryn growled at the smuggler.
“You reek of it, you know?” Cardax yelled across the distance. “You and all the rest of your little group. You all carry the disgusting scent of the Alliance. I smelled you the second you entered this town.”
“Spare me,” Keryn yelled back, raising her pistol. “One way or another, you’re coming with us!”
“Such dangerous threats from such a little girl,” Cardax said, raising his arms to the side as he started stepping forward. “There’s really no need for all that. In fact, if you were smart, you’d go ahead and put that toy gun down before someone gets hurt.”
“Are you threatening me?” Keryn asked indignantly. “You turn your back on your race and the entire Alliance, and you still have the audacity to threaten me?” The anger built within her and she ground her teeth together while she spoke.
In response, Cardax laughed heartily. “Betray the Alliance? That’s rich. This is the same Alliance that hunted me like a dog from one end of known space to another. I spend just as much time now fleeing bounty hunters as I do conducting my business.”
“You betrayed us!” Keryn screamed. Try as she might, she couldn’t understand how Cardax was so blinded by his own arrogance. Though she kept her eyes on the Oterian, she also scanned the buildings around her. Their conversation was far from quiet; the townsfolk had to have heard them. Yet no faces peered from closed windows to see the disturbance. Keryn longed to have the Voice once again. Its consult would have been useful in a situation like the one she now found herself, and it was always capable of watching the periphery while she focused on the task at hand. Realizing how lost she felt without the Voice, Keryn felt a pit grow in her chest, filled only with a dull ache of loss.
Cardax, blissfully unaware of Keryn’s inner turmoil, continued talking. “I never betrayed them. They betrayed me. I made one of the greatest discoveries in history when I found Deplitoxide. I was a businessman and only wanted to profit from my discovery. And what did I get for my troubles? The High Council sent Alliance Warships after me; chased me all the way into the Demilitarized Zone. I was captured by the Terrans because I was trying to save my own life! You have no idea the tortures I endured at the hands of the Terrans. A weaker man would have died, but I persevered.”
“Enough talking,” Adam interrupted, pulling his rifle free from under his jacket. “Get on the ground.”
Cardax continued walking forward and talking, as though he hadn’t heard Adam speak. “But I learned an invaluable lesson as a result of being the Terran’s captive. I learned that loyalty has nothing to do with oaths of allegiance to one side or another. Loyalty, just like everything else in this universe, has a price. You find how much someone charges for their undying loyalty, and even the most devoted soldier will willingly die for your cause. Don’t believe me? Next time you’re with all your friends, ask them how many would continue to serve the Alliance if they no longer received a paycheck. None of you are doing your job because you have some unfailing sense of loyalty to the Alliance. Take away the money, and every one of you would find a new line of work.”
“What’s your point?” Keryn yelled, though Cardax was now only a few dozen feet away.
“My point is that this entire town had a price, and I had a lot of money to spend. My point is that these people appreciate the money I give them and aren’t eager to lose it. My point is that they’re willing to do anything to protect my donations…”
Cardax smiled wickedly, his dark eyes glistening in the dying light. “…even kill your friends guarding your ship.”
