Chapter 3

It was something foreign, something that didn"t belong in the deep heart of the Borraq"s territory. The noise was faint, carried on the wind, but there was no mistaking the harsh grinding of gears, the deep thrum of some kind of engine.

Taryn"s instincts hummed to life. He didn"t know what this threat was, but he knew that he had to investigate. Whatever foreign presence was in the clan"s lands, it was his duty to root it out and protect the people under his charge.

The young warriors looked up at him, their faces a mix of excitement and growing unease. This was it — a real test, a moment when they had to act like true guardians.

Taryn gestured for them to get ready, and then he led them all towards the sound.

The sound grew louder, and then finally, they reached a clearing. Taryn"s eyes widened at what he saw, and a low gasp of surprise escaped the young warriors behind him.

In the center of the clearing sat a spaceship. It was nothing like the Borraq vessels Taryn had gone to war in, a squat alien shape that looked like it had seen better days. Lights blinked on its surface, and a hatch on one side was partially open, revealing a glimpse of the unfamiliar interior.

If this was just a matter of a neighboring clan sneaking onto their lands to mine, it would be simple to deal with. Taryn would confront them and demand justice.

But this was worse. Far worse.

Because the ship down there wasn"t a Borraq craft.

Taryn"s jaw tightened until his jaw ached.

Humans.

Taryn looked down at the young warriors behind him, their faces set in expressions of determination. "All of you — head home."

"What?!" Soren yelped, and then caught himself as the others hushed him. "I mean, what?" he repeated in a frantic whisper. "Taryn, you can"t send us back! We need to confront whoever that is! It"s our duty!"

"Your duty is to report back to Rael," Taryn ground out. His senses were on high alert: half of them trying to keep an eye on the ship, half of them sensing for an ambush. "This danger is far beyond your training. It is for me alone. Your duty is to rouse the other clan warriors, as fast as you can."

"But why…?" Krye was trying to work it out, ever the curious one. From behind a tree, he peeked down at the ship, still whirring away. "Is that the Aeva clan down there? No, that technology looks too old… The Virnik? But I don"t see their colors…"

"Get away from there—" Taryn began, but he was too late.

A figure emerged from the ship.

The boys" eyes went as wide as zytha kittens. "A human!"

"Many humans!" Worrack said, glued to the scene. "Look, they"re in the ship there! How did they get here?!"

"If there"s one thing you should know about humans," Taryn snarled, "it"s that they"re cunning." His hand tightened on his blade. "And so I will not risk your lives. Not when I don"t know what"s happening, or how many of them are here. Go back, tell Rael, and let me handle this."

The boys looked at each other, sharing some silent communication. Taryn did not like that look one bit.

He remembered being a young warrior of the same age. He knew what he"d do if he was faced with the gloriously exciting chance to defend his lands from humans.

He"d done it himself, after all. He"d gone to war in space for just that reason.

And so he knew to his bones that there was no way to keep the boys from the prey they wanted. If he tried to send them away, they"d only pretend to obey. They"d slink around behind his back, eager to fight human warriors.

He groaned. The humans down there could be doing anything — he didn"t have time to waste with this.

Before the boys could open their mouths and risk insubordination, he beat them to it. "If you were to come with me," he said, narrowing his eyes, "you must protect yourselves. Do not distract me by putting yourselves at risk. You are my seconds. Be defensive, and hang back. Do you all understand?"

Their heads bounced in rapid-fire nods, their eyes wide with eagerness. Taryn sighed. Boys never changed. "Ready your blades, warriors."

Whatever danger lay ahead, they would prove themselves.

Taryn"s heart thundered in his chest as he and his charges looked down at the human spacecraft. They"d fanned out around the perimeter of the opening, slipping through the trees on the valley ridge, silently observing the humans.

It was a mining operation.

That was the only explanation for the deep, mechanical sound that filled the air, the grinding of gears and the thrum of an engine. Around the tiny, junky spacecraft were a number of thick cables that led into deep, sloping holes dug into the ground. From those holes, Taryn could hear the low, faint grinding of drilling.

When he"d first saw the humans, Taryn had worried that this was a military incursion. But the more that he observed this site, the more he was sure it was built for one purpose and one purpose only: to tear into the earth and extract its riches.

These humans had slipped through Vasz"s defenses — but for what? Minerals? Metals? Were the human supply lines really so empty that they were forced to go behind enemy lines?

Taryn"s blood ran hot with fury at the sight of the miners. The presence of humans in his clan"s territory was an insult, a slap in the face. The Borraq had sacrificed and fought for this world, spilling blood to protect it from all outside threats. For humans to come and despoil it for their own greedy purposes…

He swallowed the fury down. Now was not the time for it. He was a leader, and he had young warriors looking to him for guidance. He couldn"t afford the luxury of his own emotions. He needed a clear head to assess the situation and formulate a plan.

In the open clearing, a handful of humans moved about. They shifted between the tunnels and the ship, moving small canisters of whatever it was that they were extracting from the ground.

There weren"t many of them, definitely not the attack force Taryn had first feared. They moved swiftly, focused on their tasks, without talking.

And more importantly, only a few of them had weapons. Taryn"s eyes narrowed as he picked them out. A few humans had guns on their hips — supervisors? — but most of the miners only wore protective equipment.

Taryn"s mind raced. This was an opportunity. The Borraq could strike swiftly, before the humans even knew what had hit them. They could take the supervisors by surprise, swiftly overpower any resistance, and then pick off any that remained.

It was a swift and decisive plan, the kind of plan that Borraq preferred. The young warriors were eager for action, and they looked up at Taryn with expressions of fierce determination. They were ready to follow his lead, ready to prove themselves as true guardians.

Taryn"s jaw was set in a firm line, his eyes narrowed in focus. He was ready to make his choice.

It was time to act.

It was time for payback.