Chapter 12

Sabine

"Is that a person?" I seized Dakkan's arm. "A Mitran?"

Dakkan was perfectly still, like a statue beside me. "Maybe," he growled. "Who are you?" he called to the newcomer.

A tall male walked towards us. He certainly looked Mitran—long horns, dark red skin, more muscles than anyone had a right to possess. I could see those things well enough in the evening light. The three creatures were the size of large dogs and not as huge or terrifying as I'd initially perceived them to be. They watched the other male avidly and with clear adoration.

"I am Lukan," replied the male. "My friends, here, have been watching your progress for part of this day." He looked fondly at the three doglike creatures and patted the closest one on the head. "I assumed you would find your way here."

Dakkan did not move. His muscles were tight. The spikes on his arms rose just slightly. "And where is here, exactly?"

The male stepped closer. His strides were loose, easy. There was no tension in him whatsoever. "Here is here," he said in a theatrical voice. "What shall we name it?"

"This is no time for games, elder," Dakkan said in a menacing voice. "You'll give me answers. What are you doing here?"

"I'm surviving, boy," he replied with an edge to his voice. "I won't give you any more answers until you come and join me for a meal."

"We're not joining you anywhere," said Dakkan. "How do I know this isn't a trick? Another stunt like those mechanical beasts?"

Lukan stepped closer now, and I could see why Dakkan had called him an elder. I wouldn't call him old, though. Maybe just older. He was still massively muscled and appeared to be in excellent condition. Except for some lines on his face and the faded color of his brakas, which looked like they had been a rich bronze, originally. "Lower that spear, warrior. You're not going to use it."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because my friends will not allow it," Lukan replied, resting a hand on the closest dog's head. "I have not lost my touch, either, despite being away from my Thrail for all these years." He flashed even, white teeth. "I can fight you, even in my old age."

Dakkan finally relaxed, but only a little bit. "What Thrail are you from?"

"Thrail Tyvor, far to the north," he replied. "It was so long ago, I can't tell you the exact number of standard galactic years."

"You became lost here, like us?"

"Like everyone." Lukan pointed across the clearing to the darkened forest beyond. "My ship is a short walk that way. Come. We will eat. Surely you both are hungry?"

Dakkan turned to me and asked in a low voice, "I don't think his mind is all there. Shall we go with him?"

"Yes," I said. "He doesn't seem dangerous and he might be able to tell us what's going on here."

Dakkan flicked a glance at the three doglike beasts that stared adoringly at their friend. "You're not worried about them?"

"I think as long as we don't piss off our host too much, they'll leave us alone."

He nodded. "Very well. We take our chances with the unhinged elder and his beasts."

We stepped forward into the clearing. "You're not very optimistic, are you?"

"I'm a warlord," he replied. "Optimism isn't part of the role."

"Warlord, you say?" Lukan asked, overhearing us. "And what Thrail do you rule over, boy?"

Dakkan's chin rose. I was sure it annoyed him to be called boy. "I am Dakkan, warlord of Thrail Sakra and this is my human companion, Sabine Mecon, a doctor."

"I would welcome you, but no one wants to be here," Lukan said with a chuckle. "Ah, Thrail Sakra."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Dakkan's jaw tightened.

"Nothing at all, Warlord." The elder grinned over his shoulder. "I've been there a few times. Yours is a…traditional sort of Thrail. Visiting is like taking a trip back in history. It's surprising to see you made it here at all, considering your people reject all technology. Did you walk out here?"

"I operated a ground rover," Dakkan replied. "And we do not reject all technology. Just the unnecessary kind." He glanced at me when he said this. I ignored him.

Lukan let out a hoot of laughter. "And who decides what is unnecessary, Warlord? You?"

"Yes," said Dakkan. "I am the warlord."

"And what of you, human?" The elder Mitran cocked his head my way. "Does your kind follow a rigid traditional path?"

I snorted. "No. We embrace all the advancements we have. That's why I'm here—to provide modern medicine to the human females living at Dakkan's Thrail." I shot him a sharp look. "They demanded a medical clinic like what they were used to on Earth."

Lukan looked between Dakkan and me. "What an interesting pair you are."

"We're not a pair," I said. "He came in search of my shuttlecraft that went down a day's walk to the north. We're trying to get out of here and return to his Thrail."

"Oh, yes, getting out is quite the trick, isn't it?" For a moment, Lukan's shoulders slumped and he looked weary and older. "That has spoiled many plans for many people. Ah, here we are."

We matched his steps as we walked through the darkened jungle. The doglike creatures—similar in that they had fur and four paws—trotted around us like guards as we entered a new clearing. This one larger and more manicured. Shrubbery was aggressively cut back, revealing a circle surrounding a very old derelict ship. Moss and vines crept over the hull. It appeared to be in the process of being consumed by this part of the jungle, but there were clear signs that this vessel had been made into a home. Wind chimes made of glass and stones tinkled in the light breeze. Chairs fashioned from wood and metal sat around a well-established fire pit that glowed with embers. Plants grew in purposeful rows, indicating a garden. The hatch to the shuttle was painted with a design. A stream burbled from somewhere behind the metal structure.

"Welcome to my home," said Lukan proudly.

"This is where you've lived all these years?" Dakkan sounded equal parts fascinated and appalled. "How did you survive?"

Lukan gave him a level look. "The same way you would. Mitran warriors survive."

"And what plans were spoiled for you, Lukan?" Dakkan asked.

"What?" the older male asked.

"Just earlier, you said being here spoiled plans for many people. That included you, I assume."

"I had been chosen by a female," he said. "A rare honor, considering the state of things among our people, even before my time." He leaned toward me and flashed a grin. "I was a handsome fellow back in my day."

I smiled back. "I have no doubt."

"Anyway, I was running supplies for my Thrail before returning to her. I was flying this shuttlecraft and I noticed a discrepancy in my short-range scanning data. Before I knew it, the view screen went blurry and everything outside had changed. Instead of the desert, it was a jungle. The ship lost power and I went down. My Collia was a lovely female. I wonder…" He seemed to be lost in a memory for a short time before shaking it off. He glanced over at Dakkan, brows high. "Tell me, are we still dying out? Have we solved the problem of our low birth rate of females?"

Dakkan glanced at me. "In a way. We have made an agreement with the human species. There are matches being made and babies being born. Many of them, female."

Lukan glanced at me and a weird look of gratitude crossed his face, as if I, personally, had something to do with this. "Thank Skrah for that," he said. "All these many years I have hoped that something would help our people. Here we are."

There was a war in there, and some bad battles with the Dessicans, but that could wait. Or just not be told.

"Are there any others out here?"

"No." Lukan gestured for us to sit by the fire pit. He placed several cut logs on the embers and they quickly ignited. "But wander this place long enough and you'll find many other vehicles and ships that veered too close and got caught in the web of this place."

"My people fear this place," said Dakkan. He held out his hands towards the fire. Just like last night, the air chilled when Skrah fell off the sky. "I would allow no others to enter this region."

Lukan nodded. "Such is the lot of a good warlord." He went inside and returned with a large pot and a pitcher. He placed the pot beside the fire and the pitcher on a stone table. He went back inside and returned with bowls and cups. "Please, friends. Eat. Drink. Live well out here. This is my own ale, made from the grain of the harat weed, which I harvest at the water's edge. My friends and I hunt, and I grow food in my small garden. It is a pleasure to share a meal with others again."

Finally, I saw Dakkan fully relax. He placed his spear on the ground and accepted a cup of whatever it was Lukan had brewed. I did too, although I was a bit dubious of the brown liquid. It was pungent, and I wasn't used to strong spirits. I took a sniff and did my best not to wince.

Dakkan leaned into me and spoke into my ear. "You don't have to drink all of it. But a sip or two would show respect to our host."

I followed Dakkan's lead and brought the cup to my lips and took a sip. It seared on my tongue like battery acid, but I swallowed it and smiled. "Thank you. You have obviously thrived as well as you could, in this place."

Lukan smiled widely. "I have. And now I have friends to share this place with. A Mitran and a…human. You're the first of your kind I've met, but I can see why our warriors like your species. You're lovely, Sabine." He reached out and took my hand, bending his head over it as if to kiss it, but he merely bowed. Dakkan let out a low, warning growl that Lukan plainly ignored.

Lukan released my hand and added another piece of wood to the fire. "I will help you make your own home here. I will teach you which plants are safe to eat and which are poisonous. I will teach you how to avoid the guardians."

"Oh. No, no." I held up a hand. "We're not staying."

Lukan gave us a patient and sad look. "Yes, you are, I'm afraid."

"That's not possible," I said. "Surely there's a way out. You just haven't found it, yet."

"Do you think that in all the many years I have been here, I have not searched for my freedom?" He took a heavy swig from his cup and waved a hand. "Every edge of this place is protected by a force field. You can enter, but there is no leaving. That boundary gives quite a zap too. Fried off the ends of my brakas." He ran a hand over the fleshy tubules growing off his head. "I'm sorry to say that the two of you will have to come to peace with living here. You need not worry, Dakkan. Your Thrail will find a new warlord. The humans will send another doctor. The only sadness is that your children will not find mates. They will live without children of their own kind to grow up with."

My eyes flared, but Dakkan held up a hand. "Sabine and I are not mates."

Lukan chuckled. "Not yet, anyway. But your energy is strong. The connection undeniable, is it not?"

Dakkan smiled and raised one eyebrow in my direction. "Humans are different than us, Lukan. They take longer to realize the truth that is right in front of them."

I didn't even have the energy to argue the point. It just wasn't there. I was in a state of relief at having shelter and safety and food for the night, and also in complete refusal at the idea of having to live here for the rest of my life. With Dakkan.

"You mentioned evading the guardians," I said. "What are they?"

"Unpleasant things." He ran a hand over the head of one of his dogs and the beast flopped on its back for belly rubs. It closed its eyes and grunted as Lukan complied and scratched its belly. "Mechanical abomination," Lukan muttered. "From what I can tell, they exist to neutralize outside threats. They don't bother me anymore."

Dakkan's gaze sharpened. "We encountered some. I stopped one from killing Sabine and one bit me, infecting me with synthetic venom. Guardians are not of the natural world and they come in various shapes and forms."

I leaned forward. "What are they guarding?"

Lukan's eyes reflected the light of the fire. "They guard the sanctuary of the young ones. And they have undoubtedly stalked you the entire way here."