guilt assailed her that she wasn’t being affected as much as everyone else. Not yet, anyway. She couldn’t piece together what Doug was trying to tell her, though. He was hinting at something darker, but what?
When they parted ways, Charlie’s mind returned once again to the hills. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t realize she had walked toward the edge of the dome until she found herself staring at the opaque barrier of the energy shield. Just beyond it, the pale sand swirled. She squinted, trying to make out any sign of a living creature stalking through that. How was it escaping the storm?
A blaster rifle swung up in front of Charlie, startling her. With a hoarse shout, she shuffled back and glanced over at the guard frowning down at her.
“Mia!” she gasped. “You about gave me a heart attack!”
The woman shook her head. “Sorry, Charlie. You know you don’t belong here. I thought you would still be hanging out with Doug. What are you doing?”
“It wasn’t intentional. I just seemed to end up here. I was heading back to my bunk to crash, to be honest. I just…I’m worried.”
Mia’s lips pressed together, her eyes straying to the barrier before returning to Charlie. “I am too. But you can’t stay here, Charlie. Go on.” She waved her rifle. “Just go home.”
Charlie fidgeted. “Be careful. I think Doug would be pretty pissed if anything happened to you. He was talking a bit crazy.”
Mia’s lips turned up at the corners. “You heard about that, huh? Don’t worry. Things will work out. You stay safe, Charlie. Just whatever you do, don’t leave the dome.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” she mumbled as she left the forbidden barrier, making a direct line for her complex.
Chapter 8
Movement outside the colony slowed for a few days. Although the offworlders still worked for long hours outside of the dome, few ventured past the armed perimeter around the workers. It seemed that the guard had increased. Interesting. They had to be aware that they were being watched.
A hard smile curved the a’sankh’s mouth.
They are afraid.
The smile dropped away slowly. The midday winds had dissipated many hours ago. Not much longer until the sun would sink below the western mountains. The offworlders usually returned to the fields after the storms quieted, and were out until the final hours before sunset. They had been out most of the morning, but the field was now vacant despite the sun still being high in the sky.
Most unusual behavior. It required investigation.
Cautiously, the a’sankh dropped down the hillside, creeping closer to the settlement on silent paws. The eminit, the mouth of fire lance, was clasped firmly in one of four hands and held out to the fore, ready to be used against any attacker. The small green orb spun, collecting data in the eye socket in which it was set. The sensation was disconcerting, but one long accustomed to.
A scent blew on the wind… Offworlders were approaching. There were two choices at hand with only spare minutes to make a decision.
One was to flee. Any a’sankh could outrun the offworlders and disappear among the cliffs before their pursuers would even be able to load into a transport vessel. This was the easiest decision. But it was also the decision that would continue the dance as it was… with no further information obtained. It was not ideal.
Option two was no better. It would demand self-sacrifice. That in itself was nothing unusual. An a’sankh was created to be a guardian, to sacrifice their life and wellbeing for the people. Yet to be captured and at the mercy of the offworlders was highly unappealing. Much could go wrong. Although they seemed peaceful, the earlier violence of the species could not be easily forgotten.
Truthfully, there was no real choice in this matter. Information was still required.
Long, pale ears tipped toward the sound of movement among the rocks, small stones tumbling. They were not subtle. A Tak’sinii child would hear them coming.
An impatient growl rumbled low in the air.
Decision made, there was nothing to do but wait to be captured. Not that they would have it easy. Making capture too easy would make the offworlders suspicious.
The a’sankh’s head jerked around as the roar of an approaching engine broke through the air, but even it was not loud enough to cover the sound of the offworlders closing in.
The eminit in his hand was drawn up in attack position. No, it would be foolish to be