30
The Battle of Muhl
Exhausted, but relieved they'd survived the mines, they continued their journey over the Drogal Mountains. Darkness had just fallen and it was a long hard march to Shaft 11 where they would rest and spend one more day before they made it back to their fighters. They felt safe under the cover of darkness and with their new found friend, the rhutz, trailing them at a safe distance. During their first rest stop, Peter called Lorin to check in and see what word she had of Luga Vincente. He was afraid that Pegaport Command might have discovered that he'd been contacted and put two and two together. That would have been a disaster. Peter took out the GC and punched in Lorin's number.
"R1 calling S2?" Peter said.
"R1, is that you?" Lorin replied excitedly.
"Yes," R1 here."
"Oh, thank Sandee!" Lorin gasped. "You're alive! I never thought I'd hear your voice again. Pegaport command is claiming they killed all of you."
"Really? Well, they almost did. We barely made it out of Shaft 22 alive."
"Oh, I can't believe it. The Councillor will be so pleased. He was—I mean, we were all devastated by the report of your deaths. Are any of you hurt at all?"
"Ah . . . Well, nothing life threatening. I got a few punctures from a drogal’s claws and a bullet grazed me.”
“Oh, my God!” Lorin exclaimed.
“No. It’s nothing, really. Tam is a mess from the lashings and abuse he suffered from his drill sergeant.”
“Oh. No. Tell him I’m so sorry.”
“Thankfully we had a first aid kit and you have some wonderful medicine here on Tarizon.”
“Yes, we do.”
“We're going to need a little shut eye here soon, though. We're pretty well spent."
"I can imagine. You've been through quite an ordeal."
"You've got that right. . . . So, how's our cook? We've been worried about him since we had to take out those two MPs."
"So far no one is on to him," Lorin said. "Apparently nobody noticed them talking. The rescue is on schedule."
"You don't think they suspect anything?" Peter asked.
"Well, I'm sure they did, but now that you all are dead the base is off high alert."
"Wonderful. Is my girl going to be waiting for me after the fireworks tomorrow?"
"You bet. We came down here yesterday.”
"You didn't tell her I was dead, did you?"
"No. Fortunately we hadn't told anyone yet."
"Good."
"I've got Luci settled in special quarters the Nanomites built."
Peter laughed. "The Nanomites built barracks for you?"
"Yes. They've built most of the buildings on the base too. It's really quite amazing what they can do when they are treated with a little dignity and respect."
"Wow. I can't wait to see it. I loved the compartment in Shisk that I stayed in."
"Luci is showing quite a bit. Are you prepared for that?"
"Oh, yes. That's my baby, remember?"
"Yes, I remember."
"Well, I've got to go. It's hard to keep up with the guys when I'm talking to you on the GC. Tell Lucinda I'll see her soon."
"I will. Be careful"
"Affirmative. Out."
Peter's mind whirled in anticipation of seeing Luci. Her sudden willingness to visit him had lifted his spirits immensely. Was she falling in love with him? He prayed if only it were true. But even if she did love him, she still had a mate and her visit would soon have to end. He could see only disappointment and shattered dreams on the horizon. Yet, he couldn't make himself despair knowing he'd soon be in her arms.
They finally reached Shaft 11 as the eastern horizon was beginning to lighten. Once safely inside the mine they made a fire and ate some of their dwindling rations. They figured they'd eat what was left at the mine headquarters at the base of the mountains the following morning. Their next meal after that, if God and Sandee were with them, would be at the nutrition center on the Beet Islands.
Peter thought back on their adventure. It had only been a few days, but it seemed like several phases since they'd been candidates on Pogo Island. He wondered if time was the same on Tarizon as it was on Earth. It seemed like it moved slower here. It had only been a few phases since he'd been abducted, yet it seemed like a decade. He wondered what his parents were doing. He thought about Marcia and his brothers. Did they miss him as much as he missed them? Red reminded him of Reggie a little and Sy was a lot like Mark. Sometimes when he looked at them he would actually see his brothers. It was his mind playing tricks on him he knew, of course, but it made him feel good to see them, real or imaginary. Fortunately, sleep soon put his troubled mind to rest.
When they awoke that evening they were excited and relieved to be near the end of their journey. They quickly ate, packed their gear, and moved out. They were traveling downhill now so the pace was much faster than it had been the day before. Their spirits were high so they were more talkative than usual. Peter thought it would be a good time to get to know Tam better. He knew quite a bit about Sy and Red but not so much about Tamurus Lavendar of Serie since he'd been sent off to Muhl soon after they'd met.
"So, what's it like in Serie?" Peter asked.
"It's nice in the spring and summer, but we're pretty far north so it's very cold in the winter."
"Really? Do you ski?"
"No, it's a very flat country. We use snow gliders to get around during the winter. They travel on a thin stream of air just above the snow."
"Hmm. That sounds like fun. What does your father do?"
"He's a bureaucrat."
"A bureaucrat? Then you must have spent a lot of time with him growing up."
"No. Bureaucrats on Tarizon work long hours and must travel where they are needed. I didn't see much of him at all. My mother and older brother raised us."
"What kind of bureaucrat?"
"He was in charge of the subtram system in Serie."
"Oh, really? I love subtrams. I can't believe how fast they are. Our public transportation on Earth is very slow. I wish the Central Authority would share some subtram technology with Earth."
"Eighty percent of the subtram system in Serie hasn't worked since the great eruptions."
"How come?"
"Environmental quality and health services have taken ninety percent of the government's resources."
"So, you have great technology but you don't have the resources to mass produce it."
"Exactly. It's very frustrating. My father had a very difficult and stressful job."
"Hmm. So, when did you discover you had telepathic abilities?" Peter asked.
"At a very young age. I first started using it on my older brother and sister to beat them at Slabdab."
"Slabdab?"
"Yes. It's a memory game young children play on Tarizon. There are thirty-six slabs made of cardboard. On each slab is a distinct design. The object of the game is acquire six slabs of the same design. The first person to do that wins and yells out Slabdab. I used to always win because I could look into Sisel and Merkee's eyes and see what slabs they had."
Peter laughed. "They must have hated you."
"Yes, having a little brother who could beat you at any game they played was very irritating. Eventually they refused to play with me. I had the same problem with my friends."
"Hmm. Why didn't you just pretend you were normal—let everyone else win a game or two?"
He shrugged. "I can't stand to lose. It goes against my nature. I know that seems crazy, but I've always felt I was given this gift for a reason—some higher purpose. For as long as I can remember I've been trying to figure out what that was. When I heard Threebeard's call, I finally got my answer. It was a great relief to finally know why I had been born."
"That's the exact opposite of my experience," Peter said. " I never had a clue that I was telepathic, nor did I ever consider that God might have a higher purpose for me—particularly on Tarizon."
"God and Sandee work in myster
ious ways," Tam said. "I wonder if they are one and the same."
"That could be. Jesus was the Savior on Earth as was Sandee on Tarizon. Perhaps their Father was the Creator of the Universe."
"Probably so.”
“Do you know anything about the origin of life on Tarizon?" Peter asked.
"The historical manuscripts claim that there is a much larger and greater human civilization far away in another galaxy. It is said that these humans occupied a planet call Pharidon and were a very highly advanced people. In fact, they were so advanced that people there sometimes lived nearly a thousand cycles. Consequently, Pharidon became overcrowded and natural resources could not support the growing population on the planet. When the situation became critical explorers began searching for other inhabitable planets for Pharidonians to move. One of these groups of explorers came to Tarizon and another to Earth."
"Wow. I wonder if that's true."
"I don't know. It supposedly happened so long ago that nobody can prove it now. I wouldn't be surprised if it were true, though. It makes a lot of sense."
"Yes, that would explain a lot," Peter said. "There are many things in Earth history that our historians can't adequately explain. But if humans from Pharidon settled Earth millions of cycles ago, then a lot of our history starts to make sense."
"Mine HQ dead ahead!" Sy yelled.
They looked up and were glad to see their journey was about at its end. The small mining camp where they had stayed their first night on Muhl was less than thirty loons away. It was still dark so they knew they were right on schedule. They'd just have time to eat and then board their fighters for a sunrise assault on Pegaport.
Peter got on the GC and called Lorin. He told her they had made it back and were just about ready to take off.
"Everything is quiet at Pegaport. We've been monitoring their incoming and outgoing communications and nothing out of the ordinary has shown up. I don't think they will be expecting your visit."
"How can you monitor their communications? Don't they have it encrypted or scrambled?"
"We're all still on the same communications system. The war hasn't officially started yet. That will change soon after you wake them this morning."
"Understood. We'll check in after our wake up call."
"We'll be praying Sandee is with you."