It was now virtually nightfall. The sky was black on one side, and various shades of dark blue and purple on most of the rest. While there was probably a thin shade of red on the horizon, it was hidden due to the trees.
"(We're going to have to stop.)" Karmlyn told Jinx, "(We're just about out of light.)"
Jinx sighed, "(I'm afraid you're right. What trail there is is becoming unreadable, and I still can't sense anything from this man.)"
"(There's nothing more that can be done tonight. Let's give it a rest.)"
The two mymar women had been searching for whomever the mob had taken out here to die in the wilderness. But due to the fading light, they didn't have a lot of time to track down the animal whomever it was had been tied to. And finally, they had run out of light, and time.
The women then looked for a place for a campsite. The subtropical forest would be dangerous enough at night with a fire, but since it would be a dead giveaway to any mobster looking around they decided to take their chances with the wildlife. Since the rivers attracted predators looking for thirsty prey, as well as being home to their own predators and bloodsucking insects, they quickly decided on dry terrain.
They soon found a spot and parked there, a thick hedge of undergrowth. They edged the hovercraft with the front ends at the foliage and the back ends touching each other, forming a makeshift triangular wall. Then a glowrod, a stick containing fluorescent chemicals that lit up when activated by breaking a seal in the middle and shaking, was activated and left inside. The idea was that the light could only be seen from above, and not any mob patrols going about, and the unnatural glow of the rod would spook any dangerous animals and keep them away.
There were just two slight problems. The first was that without a roof of any kind, they'd get soaked if it rained. The second was that quarters were a little tight. After they finished making the camp, they sat up at first rather than lie down. Neither was sleepy yet. Particularly Karmlyn, whom while not unfamiliar with camping in the woods had always done so with plenty of supplies, notably a sleeping bag and a tent with plenty of room. Now she was in cramped quarters, and neither she or Jinx had been able to take a bath.
"(Not exactly the best of conditions.)" Karmlyn thought out loud, trying to make a little conversation to break the noise of chirping insects. She was doing her best to conceal her irritation.
"(I've had worse,)" Jinx responded, "(although not by much.)"
"Hmmph," Karmlyn forced a smile, "(I wonder if this is anything like those slumber parties human teenagers often have.)"
"(I doubt it.)"
"(Guess not.)" Karmlyn sighed, "(What I wouldn't give for a nice hot bath right now. I am really looking forward to getting off this planet.)"
"(There's not much we can do about either for the moment. For now, all we can do is wait until morning.)"
Karmlyn looked at Jinx, "(You sound like your sleeping conditions don't particularly bug you.)"
"(They're not the best. I just see little point in complaining about it.)"
"(Well, I see plenty of point, notably at that damn Nastrum. When all is spoken and done, I hope that miserable hood gets thrown in the deepest cell on the darkest prison planet, and they throw away the key.)"
"(Let's just concentrate on getting help, and not waste our time thinking about Nastrum.)"
Karmlyn gave a sharp look, "(Whadya mean a waste of time?!)"
"(Most notably, when you slowed down during our initial getaway to fire your blaster at him. As I stated before, killing him would not have halted his men from pursuing us, and you endangered us by slowing down.)"
"Hey! (You weren't the one who got stuffed in a cage like some animal!)" Karmlyn was fuming.
The albino psionic glanced Karmlyn's way, "(Are you suggesting that I haven't had degrading experiences.)" Karmlyn was well aware of the hazing Jinx had put up with from other mymar since her early teens.
"(He had every intention of doing the same thing to you too, and not just the cage. That pig didn't just want to kill us, he wanted to cage us, strip us of our clothes, rob us of our mymarity, then kill us!)" Karmlyn paused, "(I've heard of examples of such hate, but I'd never thought I'd see it, let alone this.)"
Jinx looked back at her silently for a moment, then spoke again, "(Yes, he deserves our contempt. I will not argue that. But we cannot give into such hatred ourselves. We cannot afford to let it cloud our judgment, as it has clouded his, warping it.)" She paused momentarily, "(We cannot allow ourselves to become like him.)"
Karmlyn thought for some moments, her expression starting to relax some, "(When I was their prisoner, I did everything I could to show I wasn't afraid. I returned their taunts with my own, refused to show any fear.)" She paused, "(Heck, I actually fooled myself into thinking I wasn't afraid.)"
"(And it was otherwise?)"
Karmlyn looked downward, "(Underneath it all, I was afraid, never more so in my life. Here I was, the one everyone back home calls the lucky lady of Absolin, the green-eyed girl who's supposed to slip out of every situation, and here I was, trapped and unable to do a thing.)" she paused for a moment, "(I did have that comm I had slipped under my dress. But if things had turned out different), - " She fell silent, a dispirited look on her face.
For a moment, Karmlyn just sat there. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face Jinx.
"(Sometimes, to admit one's fear is an act of bravery in itself. Yes, it does hurt to be afraid. Believe me, I know. Most recently on the ship, when that mobster took me off guard.)" she paused, "(Things could also have turned out very different, if you hadn't been there.)"
Karmlyn looked back for a moment, expressionless, then cracked a grin, "(Okay, I get your point.)"
Jinx responded with a rare slight smile, "(You did say at the time we were even.)"
"(Yeah, I suppose I did.)"
"(One item,)" Jinx paused, "(That admission did seem a little, unlike you.)"
Karmlyn's grin seemed to get a little bigger, "(Maybe we're starting to rub off on each other a little.)"
"Uh, " Jinx's smile quickly faded.
Karmlyn gave a brief snicker, "(You know, you could ease up on that stoneface demeanor a little more. Be a little more outgoing.)"
"Karmlyn, ( I -)"
"(It's not like you never have. I wonder,)" Karmlyn's grin developed a mischievous look, "(just what kind of 'friend' was it whom you told me gave you sweep riding lessons?)"
"(Now Karmlyn!)" Jinx was clearly getting annoyed.
Karmlyn chuckled, "(Just kidding Jinx,)" She went ahead and laid down, "(couldn't resist.)"
Jinx looked down at Karmlyn, At least she's feeling better now. She thought to herself that she should have expected a comeback from the gambler after her less than comfortable confesssion.
She looked upward. The sky was clear, minus a few clouds. The brightest stars had come out. There was a faint patch of light that was probably a nebula.
"(If you have to ask,)" Jinx continued, "(no, we were never intimate.)" She paused for a few seconds, "(We were close friends, however.)"
Karmlyn sat up, "(Sounds like there's a story behind it.)"
"(There is ...)"
Jinx told her story. Karmlyn responded with one of her own afterwards, but had to admit that it wasn't as good as Jinx's. After that, they were finally tired enough for sleep.
Sometime in the night, Karmlyn felt someone rustling her awake, "(Karmlyn, get up.)" Jinx told her with a loud whisper, "(There's trouble nearby.)"
"Huh?" Karmlyn quickly roused herself from her sleepiness, and grabbed her blaster, "(What? Mobsters?)"
"(I don't think so. Something else.)"
Karmlyn got up enough to peek over the two hovercraft that made up their makeshift shelter along with the hedge. It was still dark, and while a moon in the sky provided a little light, she could see little, "(What else could it be? The local wildlife?)"
Jinx got up next to her, "(Possibly a predator. I'm not picking up the intelligence I did with the mobsters.)"
"(As if they had much to begin with.)" Karmlyn looked around more carefully. Being some animal's lunch was about as discomforting as falling into the mob's hands, "(Where exactly is it?)"
Jinx put her extended middle and forefingers to her forehead, and concentrated ...
"(It's in that bush over there.)" Jinx pointed to one a moderate distance away.
"(What does it want with us?)"
"(It doesn't like people on it's territory. It's contemplating an attack.)"
"(Can you try some mental trick on it?)"
"(I'm trying to, but it's not having much of an effect.)"
Karmlyn thought about what to do. While a blaster shot was one option, it's noise could be heard for a long distance away. While the odds of the mob looking nearby were slim, she still didn't want to risk it.
She noticed a rock by her feet, a fair-sized one that could be thrown a good distance. That gave her an idea. She took it, and hurled it at the bush.
Upon penetrating the bush's leaves, there was a roar, and something jumped out of the bushes. Jinx held up the glowrod, and they could see what it was, a huge vaguely canine predator with ridges across it's spine.
The beast looked at the unnatural light of the glowrod, snarling and growling. Jinx continued to concentrate, willing the animal to leave. Karmlyn kept her blaster ready, in case it charged.
Finally, the predator gave up and ran off.
Both women breathed a sigh of relief. Karmlyn remarked, "(I really hate it when something big and nasty drops by a campsite for a visit. Why couldn't it be something little and cute?)"
"(I was able to get a sense it's thoughts.)" Jinx told her, "(It seems the mobsters have been hunting them. It's mate was killed by one.)"
"(And so it thought we were one of them.)" Karmlyn was not happy.
"(I don't sense any more, and it's continuing to retreat. With no element of surprise, it's given up.)"
"(After that thing, I'm giving up on getting any more sleep.)" She looked at the sky in one direction, "(I think I see some light, so it must be about dawn anyway.)"
When there was enough light, they resumed their search for the unknown mob victim., wearing their helmets but with the visors down due to the sun's glare. Although they found the trail left behind by the animal he was tied to, it was as difficult to follow as ever. It eventually led back to the main trail. Jinx felt it was headed in the direction they had been headed anyway. So they moved on, but for a time at a slow speed. They carefully looked for signs the animal ducked back into the woods, but found none.
"(I'm beginning to think we lost the trail.)" Karmlyn told Jinx.
"(I don't think he turned yet.)" Jinx was not giving up.
"(Jinx, I think it's time we went ahead and moved on.)"
"(But we cannot just leave him.)"
"(With the mob looking for us, we need to be heading on.)"
Jinx thought for a moment, "(All right, let us keep searching for fifteen minutes. If we still have not found anything, we can move on.)"
"(Deal.)"
They continued their slow pace for another fifteen minutes. Near the end of the period, Jinx put her hand up, "(Hold it.)" She came to a stop.
Karmlyn stopped her hoverbike, "(What?)"
"(Something's up. Not a threat like the mobsters, but - DUCK!! )"
Both women dived just in time to avoid a couple stunbolt blasts shot from some bush undergrowth in the forest. Karmlyn drew her blaster, "(Great, another Vyrian son of a-)"
"(Wait.)" Jinx then called out, "You there, hold your fire! We're not with the mob.)" She then took off her helmet, revealing her mymar appearance, "They've been after us too."
"You? So many light years away, and I run into you again."
The human then stepped into view from the forest. A roughed up blond-haired man with bruises and torn clothes. He had a tiny holdout-type blaster in his hand, not much bigger than a thick pen. Jinx recognized him right away, "Lexxon?"
"It's me, Islyne," Lexxon addressed Jinx in her proper name as he walked forward, limping some, "I see you were brought here as well, but it looks like you managed to get away."
"What happened?"
"The Vyrian mob found out I was at the hospital and got me as I was trying to slip out. When I refused to tell them anything, they brought me here along with Detective Venswurt."
"Huh?" Karmlyn spoke as she raised her visor, "Why'd they take him? I thought he ratted on us."
"Venswurt? He didn't inform on anyone. The Vyrian mob had his office bugged. Apparently that's how they were able to figure out what Kessler and I were up to."
Karmlyn took her helmet off, "Some of their goons told us he was in their pocket."
"Obviously they lied. Nastrum often tells someone he's captured that they've been betrayed." Venswurt paused as he coughed, "After they brought us here, since I was the bigger troublemaker, I was brought out here in the jungle to die. The manner of being tied up to an animal wasn't exactly a proud way to go. Fortunately, I was able to cut myself loose, and even ride the animal for some distance. I also had this emergency blaster concealed for circumstances such as this. I just never had a chance to use it until after I got my hands free. Between the blaster and some survival training some years ago, I was able to make it through the night."
"What happened to Venswurt?" Jinx asked.
Lexxon's expression became more somber, "They decided to give him a quicker end and shot him before sending me off."
Jinx spoke nothing at first as this bit of news sunk in, then, "We have got to get help."
"I heard rumors of an abandoned base here, but I don't know where it is. I was hoping to find a datapad with a map on a mobster."
"Well we know where it is," Karmlyn informed, "and we're headed there."
"Then I hope you don't mind if I join you." Lexxon then focused his full attention on Karmlyn, "I think I know you from somewhere."
"I'm sure you have." the gambler responded with a slight smile.
Lexxon studied her face a little, "Yes, I think I remember." Karmlyn's smile grew a little wider. Then Lexxon asked, "I don't suppose you would be Kialenni Atar of Minmir."
Karmlyn's smile vanished, and her look of surprise was obvious, "Er, um, no."
Jinx coughed a little. Karmlyn gave her a look, suspecting the psionic was trying to keep from grinning over her ego getting lowered a little, but spoke nothing.
Jinx then introduced her friend, "This is Karmlyn Sen-Tiago of Absolin. She was given the disk by Bayle Riveryn."
"I don't suppose you still have it?"
"I do." Jinx took the small disk and it's case out of a pocket from the inside of her jacket.
Lexxon smiled, "That's really good news. If we can really get help over here, and get that disk to them, then the Vyrian mob will be going down."
"That suits me just fine," Karmlyn commented.
"You'll have to come with us." Jinx told Lexxon, "We cannot leave you out here between the Vyrian mob and the wild animals."
"I would appreciate the ride," he walked over to Jinx, "and I'm sure you wouldn't mind a break from driving. I have some experience with the sweep."
And after a minute, the three were off with Karmlyn in the lead. Jinx had let Lexxon have the helmet. He turned it down at first, but she told him he could use it to keep the wind out of his eyes. So she just held onto Lexxon as he drove, letting the breeze flow through her hair.
"You're certain this is where you think they're going?"
"Yes, Sir." an aide told Nastrum as he pointed over a map on a holoprojector. A mobster guard was standing nearby. They were in an office back at the Vyrian base. The man pointed out a spot on the map, "This abandoned military post is the only way they could make any contact with the outside, other than the infiltration of this complex."
"And it would be just our luck for one of those cats to know about it." Nastrum grumbled, "How soon can we send some men there?"
"We can have the three patrols closest to it there by tomorrow. The first should get there before the aliens."
"Good." Nastrum gave a predatory grin, "Those cats think they're so clever. Well this time, they'll never know what hit them." He thought for a moment, "Are the repairs on the hoverbus finished?"
"They are. Fortunetly it was in a shed outside the main garage. While it suffered some damage from debris, the damage to the engine was slight."
"So it can get there before the cats?"
"Yes, and the men it carries won't be sleep deprived. Our men on the bikes will have to drive through the night. Most of those on the bus can sleep as it heads there."
"Then make it ready. I too shall be going. I want to personally see the carcasses of these vermin."