sharp pang of self-loathing.

Nina Forest swiveled around in his lap and cradled his head against her chest.

The gift had been so much more than a moment for him. It had been a moment for the Nina from Sirius.

For that moment when he had been with his lost lover, she received the gift of understanding; understanding the true depth of the tenderness her other self had shared with this Trevor. For that moment, she had been his Nina and felt pure, genuine love. The honesty to lay everything bare; the courage to place oneself in another’s mercy and feel safe.

It was the first time in her life she felt such power. She envied the other Nina and determined that for however long her life might last, she would accept nothing less for herself, even if she never found it.

So she took him, in her arms, and cradled his head and she cried with him. For all the things he had lost, for all the things she had never known. For that moment, he was with his Nina. For that moment, she felt loved.

Just one moment.

– The sun announced a new day. Its rays crept up the horizon like veins of golden ivory climbing across a canopy of white and blue. The whole of that brilliant ball of celestial life followed, rising over the mountain range to the east to bring warmth to a cool morning. A thin frost that had crystallized during the cold night melted away leaving behind memories of moisture lingering in the air.

Inside the cave Nina stirred awake. Another day on an alien planet.

She studied the sleeping face of Trevor Stone. How much he had given to her in two days. Major Nina Forest had known from the moment she had brought him to her universe that the day this Trevor Stone looked upon the gateway at Thebes would be a day that changed him. She had never known-never guessed-that that day would have meant change for her, too.

Nina hoped that, if only for a brief moment, she managed to give him something in return, to pay some small penance for her sins against him.

She quietly slipped out from the sleeping bag they shared and put on her battle suit top again. A quick rummage through the survival rations kit produced a cup as well as a tin foil packet filled with liquid. Before slipping out of the cave to survey the new day, she also snapped on her utility belt, grabbed both pistols, and hoisted her assault rifle.

As she exited the cave she twisted the foil pack enough to pop two interior bladders, mixing the contents and causing the liquid inside to warm rapidly. A few second later, she ripped open the corner of the packet and poured the steaming contents into the cup.

The Major sipped the concoction allowing the warmth to slide down her throat and radiate through her body. She felt good. Better than she had in a long time. Maybe because, finally, she found honesty. Nina no longer fought to maintain a lie, in more ways than one. The future was unsure, but she saw things differently after the last two days on the run.

Nina scanned the horizon as she drank the instant brew. Her position inside the crater's rim limited her view but she could still see a fair distance to the east. Of course, that made no difference. She only saw a stretch of featureless plains that What is that?

A tiny black dot in the east hiding in the aura of the morning sun.

The Major rested her cup on one of the many boulders littering the slope and retrieved binoculars from her utility belt to scan east.

Nothing but open wasteland. Nothing but…

The sight through the lenses confused her eyes. At first she saw a big black blob. No…not a blob, a big creature of some type with a tail wagging behind as it walked…no not a creature…a caravan. A caravan of humanoids and larger beasts-huge lizards-wobbling side to side as the line approached, their numbers hidden by single file formation.

Trevor emerged from the cave fully dressed. She handed him the glasses and pointed.

'They’re coming,' the Major said and any good feelings over her fresh start dissipated with the realization she probably had only a few minutes left to live, regardless of bargains Trevor thought he might drive.

'Yes, that's them,' he said, peering through the binoculars. 'The Chaktaw are here.'

Too far out to be seen in detail but unmistakable nonetheless. Their giant pack lizards carried their burdens and infantrymen led the way.

While Trevor remained fixed on the distant procession, Nina cocked the bolt on her rifle.

'Put your gun away.'

She insisted, 'They can’t see us.'

Trevor took one last long look through the glasses then turned to her.

'They can see us,' he said. 'They’re already here.'

Trevor did not need to see them to know they were there. He felt them rise from hiding spots on the rocky hilltop above and around the cave entrance, some just a few feet from where they stood. They wore camouflage ponchos turned a dusty tan to match the dusty soil and rock of the ridge.

Nina glanced around and saw a dozen Chaktaw. She had stood there and drank instant coffee without sensing their presence.

She resisted the instinct to raise her weapon knowing not only would it do no good, but also knowing that if the Chaktaw had wanted to kill her, they could have done it already.

The caravan reached the far side of the crater, resembling something like a band of merchants arriving at market for a day of trade. However, instead of wares and goods they brought guns and soldiers.

The scouts behind them descended and approached. Trevor waited patiently, secure in the knowledge that he may very well be facing the last moments of his life.

The Major grunted a pout as her rifle and pistols were pulled from her grasp by the hooded soldiers. The Chaktaw then herded Trevor and Nina down the slope toward the wide, flat floor of the crater.

The main group of Chaktaw descended the far side of the pit along a sloping path. When they reached the bottom of the gully, they fanned out to form a receiving line of sorts.

Trevor and Nina walked slowly to meet that assembly. The balance of the Chaktaw infantry jogged and stumbled across the rim of the crater high above to either side. Trevor found it a surreal sight.

Ahead waited an entourage. No doubt Fromm’s entourage. They formed two lines so as to funnel the strangers to the center between a corridor of bodyguards and officers

Trevor felt their hatred for him. He could feel it through their heavy combat ponchos, from behind the goggles that covered eye slits. Their anger at the invader, the murderer, the killer.

It did not surprise him when one of his escorts shoved him from behind. First a hand that sent him stumbling, then a rifle butt knocked him to a knee.

He stood with his hands held high, empty palms plain to see.

Nina took a punch in the shoulder and fell forward, but they did not stop moving; the escorts drove them forward as if they were obstinate beasts in need of encouragement but deserving of no compassion.

The guards lining the high ridge of the crater watched like an audience in the coliseum eager to see the lions feed.

Another shove, then a kick. This time Trevor fell to the dirt. A small puff of smoky dust rose from the impact.

A guard slapped Nina’s head. A rifle jabbed in to her back. She coughed a cry of pain but kept on her feet.

Stone wiped away the dirt with one stroke, held his hands high once again, and stumbled forward amidst another shove. Another hate-filled push.

Two walls of Chaktaw closed in on either side of the contemptible prisoners. Some wore their combat gear, their eyes hidden behind hoods and goggles. They stood like statues as the escorts drove Trevor and Nina forward.

Some did not cover their heads. They wore simple but rugged uniforms that lacked any flare. They were human in general shape and design, but with puffy faces and barren scalps surrounded by tufts of hair.

Another nudge; another trip and Trevor fell to the ground with Nina beside him. He tried to stand but a rifle smacked into his knees. Apparently the privilege to stand had been revoked. He and Nina knelt before the leader of the Chaktaw.

Every thing stopped. The wind whipped overhead as it dipped into then out of the crater.

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