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“Did you see that?” Eden pressed a hand to her throat as she often did when she was upset.
“There it goes again,” someone gasped.
Everyone rushed to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the craggy cliff on which the complex had been built. There was a narrow stretch of rocky beach below and the long wooden pier jutting out into the choppy waters of Sitka Sound. An object landed on the beach. It was visible and yet it was distorted, like a video image that wasn’t in focus.
“Are those the hunters?” Eden’s voice was tremulous with fear.
“There’s another one.”
A second, third, and fourth pod landed in quick succession surrounding the compound. Ansley was pretty sure they were two-person transport pods because she’d seen images of the crafts and she had a poncho that created the same distortion allowing her to all but disappear.
As if to confirm her hypothesis, the first pod opened and the occupants climbed out. They were dressed in sleek, dark gray armor that followed every contour of their bodies. The invaders were massive and muscular, unless the suits exaggerated the shape of the wearer. Their faces were concealed behind translucent visors and they both carried weapons unlike anything found on Earth.
“Oh, Gods. It’s true. They’re…” Kendra shook her head, unable to define what she was seeing. “We are aliens.” She looked at Ansley as the color faded from her face. “What should we do?”
“Grab anything you can use as a weapon and get inside the barricade,” she urged.
The door to the interior corridor burst open and the founders returned, carrying three large metal cases. They set the cases down beside the barricade and flipped the top open. Director Ratan started handing out weapons, long, sleek weapons unlike anything Ansley had ever seen before. “The pulse rifles are self-targeting. Point them in the general direction of the enemy and the weapon will do the rest.”
Someone grabbed Ansley’s upper arm and she gasped. She spun around and found Mistress Neeva urging her away from the others. “It’s time.” She pressed a quilted pouch into Ansley’s hand as she said, “You know what to do.”
Ansley nodded. They had been over what was expected of her numerous times.
“Let me stress one last time how important this is.” Her intense expression matched the urgency in her tone.
“I understand,” Ansley assured her. “Keep them safe.” She nodded toward her friends, wishing she could stay and help protect them.
“You know I will.” Neeva pulled Ansley in for a quick hug. “Go!”
Ansley knew that Neeva wouldtryto keep everyone safe. She was less sure Neeva wouldbe ableto keep them safe. Either way, there was nothing more Ansley could do here. She had a vitally important task awaiting her.
She rushed from the dining room and darted down the hall toward the kitchen. In the back of the massive walk-in pantry rested a large backpack. She stuffed the quilted pouch into the backpack and zipped it up. Then she picked up the backpack and headed outside. Quickly putting on the pack, she secured the hip strap so the load wouldn’t bounce or sway. Then she draped herself in the light-refracting poncho. She had more supplies stashed in a cave on the far side of the island. She would spend the night in the cave then stay on the move until late afternoon tomorrow. That’s when the weekly supply boat arrived. She would pay the pilot to take her with him when he returned to Sitka, and then Ansley Logan would disappear forever.
* * *
“Watch your step as you disembark and then follow the male with the bright blue hair,” Tandor instructed. About half of the conduits were now onboard theMadelle. The more volatile females had been teleported directly onto the ship. The rest were being shuttled over from the planet. Teleporting everyone would have been much faster, but each time they used the molecular teleportation engines, energy was pulled from the other systems, including the refraction shields. The ship was in low orbit, so they couldn’t risk becoming visible while human technology could detect them.
“What do you think, three more trips?” Jobek asked from the pilot’s seat of their small ship. Jobek sounded bored, but it was hard to tell with controllers. Stoic expressions and brooding silences were their default mode. Controllers were always large, but Jobek was bigger than most. He’d pulled his long dark hair away from his face and bound it at the nape of his neck. The severe style made his bold features look even more savage. He was relaxed now, or as relaxed as Jobek ever got, and his eyes still gleamed like polished obsidian.
The aftermath of any hunt was the least interesting part and this hunt had been more challenging than most. The fugitives they’d been contracted to find had been missing for two decades and no one was even certain if they were on Earth much less a specific location on the obscure blue planet where they could be found. TheMadellehad been the first hunter ship to arrive, but they had been joined by eleven other teams in the months that followed. And every team was determined to locate the missing conduits as well as the criminals who had kidnapped them and transported them to Earth.
“It might take four more trips.” Tandor waited until the last female reached the other side of the airlock, then he closed the hatch. The women on the planet had attempted to fight off the hunters. He applauded their spirit, but they were clearly unfamiliar with their weapons and the stress of a battle had been more than most could process. By the time Tandor and Jobek rushed into the dining room, many of the females were sobbing hysterically, their pulse rifles forgotten entirely.
Tandor sank onto his customary seat and activated the holo-controls with a wide swipe of his forearm. He was also a trained pilot, but it felt natural to let Jobek take the lead. Tandor was not passive by any means. Sources just liked to analyze situations rather than rushing in.
His appearance held clues to his nature. The red streaks in his dark hair warned that there was more than one aspect to his personality. He could be strict and unyielding, but he could also be playful and affectionate. And the best barometer for his mood was his eyes. They generally appeared reddish brown, but strong emotions ignited an inner radiance that made his irises glow like fire.
Jobek pulled away from theMadelleand headed back to the planet so they could pick up their next set of conduits. They needed to complete the evacuation as quickly as possible and return to high orbit where the chances of discovery were minimized.
They were nearing the island when a flash of light caught Tandor’s attention. Had it been a figment of his imagination triggered by his thoughts?
“I saw it too,” Jobek answered Tandor’s silent question. They had worked together for years and were instinctually in tune with what the other was thinking.
“I thought their ship had been destroyed years ago,” Tandor mused.
“Apparently, they held on to a shuttle.”
Tandor launched a comm-request using his brother’s private comm-code. The brothers co-owned theMadelle, but Neloff was the undisputed commander. Neloff accepted the comm so Tandor immediately explained. “We just saw a shuttle launch from the planet and it’s not one of ours. Do we have permission to pursue?”
