"I need to return to my medical lab and begin preparing the herbs for her potion. I will need to start giving it to her as soon as possible. I should be gone less than an hour. Will you be all right alone with her?" Reenia asked her mother.
Beka interrupted before Neffa could speak. "What potion? What the hell do I have to take potion for?" she was positively livid by this time. "If you want to kill me just do it. Don't drag it out like this."
"Relax Goddess." Neffa said actually sounding soothing. "The potion is simply to enhance your fertility. We only have eleven months before the curse on our people is permanent. We can not waste time on missed opportunities."
"This day just keeps getting freaking better!" Beka exclaimed throwing herself across the bed and burying her head under the pillow.
`Sunset is now less than four hours away. How the hell am I going to get out of this one?' She thought to herself.
Reenia and Neffa exchanged a few whispered words and then Reenia left.
Neffa busied herself rummaging through the closets for several minutes. When she emerged Beka was still lying on the bed.
"Come Goddess. You must pick your dress for the bonding ceremony. Lord Tourk had several sent here for you to choose from. Although I must say I do not appreciate his taste in clothing." Neffa said holding up several very skimpy dresses. "Not at all what I would call decent."
Beka finally looked up to see what Neffa was referring to. All of the dresses appeared to be low-cut, sleeveless, diaphanous, or very short. Some were all of the above.
Beka started laughing.
"Well, he may think of himself as a God but it looks to me as if his taste in women's clothes is the same as any other mortal man."
"Yes, well regardless of that we must choose the one that will make you look your best," Neffa said laying all the dresses at the foot of the bed. Picking up the top dress she said, "Let's start with this one shall we?"
"If you think for one minute I am going to cooperate while you play dress up with me as your doll you can forget it right now. If Tourk wants to bond with me he will have to do so with me dressed as I am."
"That would not be appropriate." Neffa said looking at Beka's dress disdainfully. It had become wrinkled and dirty from her sitting on the floor earlier.
"Oh, like I give a rat's ass about being appropriate." Beka screamed at the woman. "Tell you what, I have a perfect dress in mind. Why don't you just let me scamper on back to my ship and I will fetch it." She added sarcastically.
Neffa pursed her lips and remained silent for a moment. "Lady Beka, you may either choose your dress and change now, or I will call in the guards and have them hold you down while I dress you." Neffa snarled.
Beka laughed again. "Now who is having inappropriate ideas?" she remarked archly.
Seeing Neffa moving towards the door Beka said, "Fine but I am going to have to bathe again first. I wouldn't want to get another lovely dress all sweaty and dirty."
"Fine, you choose the dress and I will prepare your bath. Just hurry please, we haven't much time."
Beka waited until Neffa had turned her back and leaned down to start the water. Picking up a heavy vase that sat on the nearby nightstand, she broke it over the old woman's head. Beka quickly caught her and lowered her to the floor, praying to the Devine or whoever would listen, that the guards hadn't heard the breaking vase. She quickly swept as many of the fragments from the vase as she could under the bed and arranged Neffa's body so that it appeared the old women had simply fainted. Looking around for something she could use as a weapon, Beka picked up an iron poker hanging by the fireplace. Hiding it behind her back, she approached the door and started hollering to guards.
"Hey, You out there. We need some help in here. Neffa is sick. Hey do you hear me?" she yelled banging on the door.
One of the guards opened the door and looked in. Seeing Neffa's body he quickly entered the room and moved toward her. Beka let him pass and waited until the second guard moved into the doorway. As soon as he did she swung the fireplace poker with all her strength reveling in the sound of the man's nose breaking. He doubled over in pain allowing her the chance she needed to bring the poker down on his head. He dropped like a ton of bricks and lay unmoving in the doorway. The second guard, alerted by the sound of his companion turned a second too late to avoid the poker coming down on the side of his face. He fell to his knees but seemed about to regain his footing after only a brief moment. Beka scooped up the other guard's sword and taking a deep breath, ran him through just as he pulled his own sword. Grabbing a couple of knives from the two fallen guards, she took off down the hallway in search of a way out.
****
Dylan and Tyr were almost to the rear wall. They should reach it in about a quarter hour. Dylan was going over everything Harper and Trance had revealed about these people as well as what the boy from the village had said. Reaching out a hand he stopped Tyr.
"What is it?" Tyr growled. "Why are you stopping us now?"
"I want to contact Trance about something and I think it would be best to do so before we leave the cover of these trees." Dylan replied.
"What must you speak to the annoying child about? You do realize by now that she is not going to give you a straight answer no matter what?" he asked although he did not appear to care about the answer.
Shaking his head at the others negative attitude Dylan opened a channel to the Andromeda.
"Hunt to Andromeda."
"Yes Captain?" Andromeda's voice responded.
"Let me speak to Trance."
"Of course Captain." There was a slight pause and then Trance's voice replied over the communicator.
"What is it Dylan? Have you found Beka yet? Is she all right?"
Interrupting her, Dylan said, "No, we haven't found her yet. But I have a question about something we were told in the village. Do you remember anything from your stories about bonding? Or anything called The Giving?"
Inhaling deeply, Trance tried to remain calm.
`They can't have recovered the magic necessary for that. This is worse than I thought. If they succeed it could be the end of everything.' She thought to herself.
"Trance?" Dylan called. When she didn't immediately answer he began to worry. "Andromeda is Trance okay?" he asked.
"She appears to be very pale and her heart-rate has increased significantly." The ship replied.
Shaking off her introspection Trance finally replied to Dylan's inquiry. "Dylan, listen to me. What these people have planned is very, very bad. You cannot let them do this no matter what. This goes far beyond just Beka's life now."
"What do you mean? Are we endangering ourselves on this mission?" Tyr inquired icily.
"Well of course you are silly. "Trance replied. "Did you think you were simply out for a pleasure walk?"
"Now listen to me you little," Tyr began but Dylan quickly interrupted him.
"Trance, please explain yourself a little better."
"Well if the Palorians, and I am sure these people must be them, really think they can perform The Giving ceremony, that means they have recovered at least some portion of their magic. That means they are pretty darn dangerous."
"Well we pretty much already knew the dangerous part." Tyr said sarcastically.
"Dylan, you must find Beka before sunset. The bonding will have to take place at sunset."
"What is the bonding?"
"Well it is essentially a wedding ceremony." Trance mumbled.
"I am sorry. I didn't quite hear that." Dylan said.
"It's a wedding ceremony." She repeated.
Dylan was stunned. He had a little over three hours to stop the woman he cared for from being forced to marry another man.
"But the bonding isn't the ceremony you need to worry about." Trance said breaking his reverie.
"That doesn't appear to be stopping him." Tyr's said.
Snapping out of it and glaring at Tyr, Dylan asked, "Okay then what should I worry about?"
"The Giving is an ancient and evil ceremony. If they are able to perform it correctly they will break the curse laid on them a long time ago, a curse that prevents them from producing any more children. If they break the curse their children will be born with their people's magic and their race will be able to wreak havoc everywhere they go."
"Go? I thought they had no space vehicles." Tyr responded.
"They don't exactly need vehicles to travel. I don't understand how they do it and I probably couldn't explain if I did, so don't ask." She said cutting him off before he could ask another question.
"Trance, just what will they do to Beka in this Giving?" Dylan asked quietly.
"They won't do anything to Beka." Trance said sadly. "The Giving requires the sacrifice of an innocent's blood. They will need a child to perform it. I am guessing they want to bond Beka with their King to produce a child. A child that if born will never live to see a full days life."
****
A feeling of intense dread settled over Dylan. Even Tyr seemed to be disquieted by Trance's revelation.
After a moment of silence, Tyr spoke. "We have only three hours until sunset. Can you offer any suggestions as to how we are to stop this atrocity from occurring?"
"Well, there is one way. But it is extremely dangerous and may not work." Trance's voice answered.
"What do we have to do?" Dylan asked finally breaking his silence. His face was a blank mask, all of his emotions hidden from view.
"If they have kept up with their history and traditions then you may be able to challenge Tourk. If he accepts and you win, then by rights all that belongs to him will be yours, including his throne and Beka."
"And if I lose?" Dylan asked already knowing the answer before he did so.
"Then you will be dead." She answered.
"What if I were to challenge him?" Tyr asked.
Dylan looked at him stunned that he would even consider such an offer.
Trance, while not as shocked as Dylan, was still amazed that Tyr had asked.
"It will probably not make much difference." She answered honestly. "He will be hard to defeat even without his magic. And with it, even if it is only a portion of his power, he will be nearly impossible to defeat. He probably would not even consider your challenge, Tyr. The only reason he might accept Dylan's is because of his status as leader."
"What types of magic do you believe this Tourk possesses and what can we do to protect ourselves from it?" Tyr asked Trance.
"I am not sure, but he will probably have some sort of magic charm to help focus the power since he had his personal magic taken away." She responded.
"What sort of charm?"
"I don't know but I am sure it will be very pretty. If you see any colored stones or jewels that is most likely the source of his power."
"Enough discussion." Dylan interrupted. "Let's just get to the palace and find Beka before sunset. I will deal with Tourk when the time comes."
Having said that, he once again began making his way toward the palace.
`Great, I am following one madman to a meeting with another madman. I truly wonder what that makes me.' Tyr thought before hurrying to catch up with Dylan and stop him from rushing in and getting them all killed.
****
Beka hid behind a huge stone statue as several guards passed by her. She had been looking for an exit for a quarter hour and was having no luck. Moving from behind the statue she continued down the corridor as quickly and quietly as possible, all the time fearing someone would hear the loud beating of her heart or her harsh breathing. Turning to the left she entered another long hallway. Suddenly there was a loud ringing of bells.
"Damn," she cursed aloud. "They must have discovered Neffa and the guards."
Increasing her pace as much as possible, Beka turned another corner, only to run straight into the back of another guard. The guard, caught unaware, turned a second too slow. Using the flat side of the sword she still carried, Beka hit him upside the head. He dropped to his knees and she once again hit him this time knocking him unconscious. Beka continued down the hallway, praying she would find an exit out of the palace.
It seemed as if her prayers were to be answered. Spying a door at the end of the hall, Beka could see daylight streaming in from the small round, window in its center. She approached cautiously but before she could reach it, a large group of guards appeared behind her. Having nothing to gain by using stealth now, Beka began running as hard as she could, hoping to reach the door and gain her freedom. After having taken only a few steps, Beka suddenly found herself frozen in place and surrounded by an eerie blue light.
****
Tyr easily caught up with Dylan and grabbing his arm, pulled him to a stop.
"What the hell are you doing?" Dylan demanded.
"I would ask you the same question Captain Hunt." Tyr replied angrily. "I thought we had already established the fact that getting ourselves captured or killed would in no way aid in the rescue of Captain Valentine."
Taking a deep breath Dylan fought the urge to go running into the palace and begin tearing it apart one piece at a time until he found her.
"You are right, it won't. But I can't just bide my time and let these people do those horrible things to her." Dylan replied.
"If what Trance has said is true, then they need her -- Alive. She will be quite safe for the moment. Let's just make it to the wall and onto the palace grounds without being discovered and then we shall see what our options are." Tyr said quietly.
Before Dylan could reply, the loud sound of bells could be heard coming from the palace.
****
Beka strained against the blue light but was unable to break free.
"My dear Beka, I am really disappointed in you." Tourk said coming forward to stand in front of her. He was clutching the amulet in his hand and Beka could see the blue light streaming from between his fingers.
Tourk muttered a few words, which Beka could not understand. Suddenly the blue light vanished leaving her free to move again. Tourk placed the amulet inside his clothing.
"Yeah? Well get used to being disappointed Tourk, because I have no intention of just sitting by and letting you do this to me." Beka retorted.
"Actually, I was disappointed because I had expected you to at least make it as far as the grounds. Perhaps I underestimated your capabilities."
Beka only glared at him choosing to remain silent.
"Come now my dear, things aren't as bad as you are making them out to be. You will have everything you could ever wish for. You will be a queen and be worshipped as a Goddess." Tourk said.
"I will be a prisoner and treated as an object!" Beka yelled. "I will die before I allow you to use me like that." Pulling one of the knives she had taken from the guard in her room, Beka lunged at Tourk, taking him by surprise. Unfortunately the blade glanced off of something, so instead of striking him in the heart it merely left a gash across his chest.
The guards standing behind them quickly grabbed Beka pulling her arms painfully behind her. Tourk reached into his tunic and pulled out the amulet. There was a thin scratch running down the middle of the stone where the blade had struck it.
"Do you see Beka, even when I do not ask for it's help, the amulet protects me with its power. You can not fight against me." Raising his arm he backhanded her sharply across her face. Beka slumped forward and would have fallen if not for the guards holding onto her.
"Take her to her room and tell Reenia to have someone clean her up and dress her properly. Sunset is in less than three hours. Then send Reenia to me to patch this cut."
"Yes My God." One of the guards replied, picking Beka up and turning to leave.
"I will not allow you to stop me from reclaiming what is mine, Beka. You will be the one to lift the curse."
****
The two men had reached the wall of the palace shortly after the alarm sounded. Scaling the wall they found themselves in a small wooded grove that led into a vast garden area behind the palace. In the middle of the gardens was a small courtyard. Dozens of men and women swarmed the courtyard setting up an altar and dozens of decorative statues. Several small, covered pavilions stood at the back by the woods. Sneaking up behind one of these pavilions they quickly ducked inside. Surrounding them were dozens of wine kegs.
"Must have one hell of party planned." Dylan remarked dryly. "And they didn't invite us. I am so hurt."
"Well, we shall have to bring their breach of good manners to their attention. I can't stand an ill mannered host." Tyr replied with a ghost of grin flitting across his handsome features.
Returning his grin Dylan replied, "And just what do you have in mind?"
****
Part 18
****
The guard carried Beka back to the room she had been held in earlier. He placed her on the bed just as Reenia entered the room. Dismissing the guards, she held a vial under Beka's nose. The fumes quickly roused the unconscious woman.
Groaning slightly, Beka opened her eyes taking in the fact that she was once again imprisoned against her will. Looking over at Reenia she immediately noticed the intense look of anger she was receiving from the other woman.
"What's the matter Reenia? You look a little upset." Beka said, smiling sweetly.
"You very nearly killed my mother, you killed one of the guards and seriously injured another. If my people did not need you so desperately I would kill you myself." Reenia spat.
"Yeah, well life's a bitch sometimes and so am I." Beka said, sitting up slowly.
"You will drink this." Reenia said handing Beka a small cup filled with an amber liquid.
When Beka ignored her command to drink, Reenia pulled a small dagger from her bag. Holding it to Beka's throat she said, "You will drink the potion." " Doctor's orders." She added smugly.
Beka took the cup and slowly lifted it to her mouth. The dagger dug into her throat, causing a thin line of blood to appear. Swallowing the liquid as fast as she could Beka remarked, "Has any one ever told you that your bedside manner really sucks? So what was that? Poison?"
Taking the cup back Reenia replied, " No, not poison. That was the fertility stimulant I spoke of earlier. Rest assured you still live because my people need you. However, if you fail to save us from the curse I will personally carry out your death sentence. Someone will come in a moment to help you bathe and dress for the bonding. It will begin in two hours."
Before Beka could respond Reenia turned and left the room, leaving her alone. Getting up as quickly as she could, Beka began to look for something she could use to escape again but it appeared as though her captors had learned from their mistake. The entire room had been s tripped of anything remotely resembling a weapon.
`Great,' she thought to herself, `now what am I supposed to do?'
The door to the room opened once again. Two young women entered the room followed by two female guards. The two guards took up a position in front of the door while the two young women approached Beka.
"You must bathe now, My Lady," The first girl spoke firmly. "Then we will help you dress for the ceremony."
Looking at the door, Beka realized she had no choice but to do as she was told.
****
Reenia approached Tourk's chamber with her medicine bag. The self-proclaimed God was lying on the bed playing with his amulet.
"My Lord." Reenia spoke as she waited at the entrance for permission to enter.
"Come in Reenia or do you plan on standing there until I have bled to death? Tourk asked.
Instead of replying, the young doctor simply came forward and began removing her medical supplies from her bag. She quickly cleaned the wound on his chest and began the task of stitching the cut closed. After a few minutes of silence she decided to speak.
"My Lord, are you sure that she is the one?" she asked quietly. "I believe she will cause us many more problems. We could wait a little longer for another to come or maybe even use this one's ship to go and find someone better suited to the task."
"Reenia, you know very well we haven't the time to wait." Tourk replied angrily. "Besides this one has a fire inside her that appeals to me. I shall enjoy breaking her spirit. Now go and see that all is in readiness for the bonding."
Nodding once, Reenia turned and left. Tourk stood for a moment and then placing the amulet around his neck, began dressing for the ceremony.
Reenia paused outside Tourk's chamber. An anger she had never known coursed through her veins. This stranger had almost killed her mother, had killed a man she had known since childhood. There was no way she was going to let her live longer than necessary to complete The Giving.
"You will die Beka, I will make certain of that." She said quietly to herself before walking down the corridor.
****
Rommie had made it back to the Maru nearly an hour before. She and Harper were working at a frantic pace, trying to complete the repairs necessary to get the Maru flight worthy.
"Harper, we are about to have company." She said suddenly.
"What? How many?" Harper asked.
"Twenty life signs are approaching from the woods to our left." She replied. "Another eighteen are approaching from the right."
"Well you said earlier that they don't have any weapons so we should be fine right?"
"For now." She said. "It should prove near impossible for them to breach the doors of the Maru. But since the ships weapons are off-line, the only defenses we have are two forcelances. This shouldn't pose a problem unless they do manage to get into the ship and choose to rush us all at once."
"Just freaking great." Harper replied running his hands through his hair, causing it to stand up even more than before. " Let's just hope Dylan and Tyr manage to find Beka and get back before that happens."
****
It was an hour before sunset. The workers were moving around the gardens finishing up the last minute preparations necessary before the bonding ceremony began. There was a sense of urgency and desperation evident as they readied the area for what could be the beginning of their salvation. Focused on their individual tasks, none of them noticed the two figures darting from one covered pavilion to the next.
****
The sky had turned into a glorious riot of pinks, oranges, and purples, rivaled only in beauty by the abundance of colors decorating the courtyard. Neffa and Reenia stood together at the altar in the center of the courtyard. A large ceramic bowl had been placed in the center of the altar. Reenia added the contents of two vials she held in her hands. Neffa touched the combined surface of the vials contents with a lighted candle. A blue flame leaped from the bowl and continued to burn brightly.
"We are ready." Neffa said to a guard who stood to her left. He quickly signaled another guard who escorted Tourk from the tent where he had been waiting. He began a steady walk toward the altar. As he passed, each person present bowed and remained so. Upon reaching the altar, Tourk took his place beside Neffa and turned to his people.
"Rise, my people. Rise and face your future." Tourk announced to the crowd. "A future where we shall once again reign as the supreme leaders of those less worthy than ourselves." Tourk's declaration was met with loud cheering and tumultuous applause.
He then signaled to the guards at the tent where he had exited only minutes before. Two guards entered the tent. A few moments later they emerged, leading Beka. She was dressed in a long, flowing white gown. The material of the dress hugged her curves as if it had been made specifically for her. She looked like your typical beautiful bride except for the metal collar around her neck. The collar was attached to a short chain that was held by one of the guards. Beka had no choice but to follow the guard. As she made the short walk to the altar, she scanned her surroundings as best she could with the collar attached.
`I know you have to be out there somewhere Dylan.' She thought to herself. `Please don't let this happen.'
Beka was led to the altar and forced to stand beside Reenia. The woman did nothing to hide a look of pure hatred as she turned to Beka.
"Place your hands above the flame in the bowl and do not move them during the ceremony."
When Beka did not immediately comply, Tourk took her hands in his and held them above the flames. Beka was expecting to feel the heat emanating from the bowl but instead the flame seemed to burn without any warmth.
Neffa began chanting words that were unintelligible to Beka. Just as Beka was giving up hope of a rescue, she spied two figures crouched at the edge of the line of pavilions at the back of the gardens. Allowing herself a small smile of relief, Beka waited to see what would happen next. She did not have to wait long.
The explosion shook the grounds in the garden. The statues in the courtyard rocked on their bases and toppled to the earth. Men and women were tossed through the air to land in heaps in the dirt. Confusion reigned as everyone tried to ascertain what was happening. Guards came running from the palace as the servants tried to extinguish the flames erupting from the tent that had held the wine for the celebration. The fire however had a mind of its own and quickly spread from one tent to the other.
Tourk stood at the altar unsure of what was happening. Neffa and Reenia both turned toward the explosions. The guard holding the chain around Beka's neck ran to help the other guards try and stop the spread of the flames. Beka used this opportunity to run. Seeing her leave, Reenia quickly turned and made a grab at the chain. Both she and Beka fell to the ground and began fighting for possession of the chain. The fight was short lived as Neffa came forward to assist her daughter. They were able to wrestle Beka back to the ground and pin her arms behind her. Tourk, hearing the sounds of the scuffle, turned toward the three women. He never saw the figure that had crept forward during the confusion. As soon as he turned, Tourk was tackled by Tyr and knocked to the ground. Dylan ran forward to pull the women off of Beka. He quickly grabbed Reenia and pushed her away from Beka. Beka managed to shove Neffa away. Dylan reached for her and pulled her to her feet. Before he was able to see if she was hurt or even speak to her, Tourk spoke.
"Stop now or your friend dies." Tourk yelled.
Beka and Dylan turned to see Tyr held suspended within a blue light. Tourk held the amulet in his hand while several guards held their weapons on Tyr.
"Drop your weapon now or I will tell them to slit his throat." Tourk said.
Dylan laid his forcelance on the ground. Reenia came forward and took it.
"You, sir, have interrupted a very important ceremony. Not to mention spoiling the fun I had planned for tonight. The least you could do is introduce yourself." Tourk spoke to Dylan.
"I am Dylan Hunt, Captain of the starship Andromeda Ascendant, and Beka is a member of my crew. You have no right to keep her here against her will." Dylan said angrily.
"You are on our planet, Captain Hunt. Our rights are what we make them. And you and your friend have the right to die."
****
"And what of my right to challenge?" Dylan countered.
"What?" Tourk asked clearly confused.
"My-right-to-challenge." Dylan spoke each word slowly, as if explaining something to a child. "I challenge you as is the custom of your people. Or have you forgotten those customs? Will you deny me the right to fight for my life and the lives of my crew?
"No," Tourk sneered. "I will not deny your challenge. I welcome it. You shall soon learn respect for your betters."
Tourk ordered the guards holding Tyr to take him to the palace and lock him up. Before doing so, one of the guards hit Tyr over the head with the handle of his sword, knocking Tyr unconscious. Tourk then ordered several more guards to prepare the pit. Beka looked over at Dylan when Tourk said this, unsure what the pit was, but worried all the same. Dylan returned her look with a small smile that did little to allay her worries.
"The challenge shall take place at first light." Tourk told Dylan. "Until then you shall be my honored guest." Tourk motioned to several guards who came forward to stand behind Dylan.
"What about Beka?" Dylan asked.
"She shall return to her room under guard." Tourk said. Turning to Beka he added, "I admit to being a little disappointed that we have to put our bonding night off but I look forward to tomorrow evening."
"I am looking forward to tomorrow as well." Beka said. "Seeing you fall flat on your ass will be a real treat."
"The only thing you will see is your Captain lying dead at my feet." Tourk replied before grabbing her face and kissing her hard on the mouth. "Then I shall make you mine."
Dylan step forward, intent on hurting Tourk, but the guards quickly grabbed him, stopping him from helping Beka.
Tourk released Beka and turned toward Dylan.
"A word of caution Captain Hunt. If you try to leave your room tonight for any reason, your big friend will meet a quick and painful death, followed swiftly by your own."
Tourk ordered his guards to take both Dylan and Beka away. Then turning to Neffa and Reenia, he commanded them to make sure everything was ready for both the challenge and the bonding ceremony for the next day.
****
The constant hammering sound was beginning to take a toll on Harper. He simply could not concentrate on making the necessary repairs with that noise.
"Would you give it a rest already?" he yelled to the air.
"What was that Harper?" Rommie asked coming back into the command area.
"Our friendly neighborhood welcoming committee out there is becoming a major pain in the backside." Harper complained.
"I have been working on that and I think I have an idea. I can send a slight electrical charge into the Maru's hull. If won't kill the Palorians but it will knock them out for a few hours."
"Let's do it. The sooner we stop them, the sooner I can get this tin heap in the air and we can find Dylan and the others."
It took nearly an hour to make all the necessary preparations and to ensure that the charge was set to stun the Palorians without killing them. Harper stood by the trigger they had rigged waiting for Rommie's signal. In order for the trap to work, all the attackers needed to be in close proximity to the Maru. Rommie was acting as bait to make sure this happened.
Rommie waited until she could sense the majority of the Palorians in range of the charge. She then began opening the hatch to the Maru. Keeping careful count on the men outside the ship, she waited patiently for them to notice the hatch and move into position. Just as the first few reached the door, she sensed all of them were within range.
"Now Harper!" she called out, throwing herself backwards from the hatch.
The hull of the Maru glowed briefly. Harper slowly counted off twenty seconds, the time they had determined was necessary to effectively knock out the men outside. He turned off the trigger and ran forward toward the hatch to see if they had succeeded. Rommie stood at the hatch opening surveying the men outside.
"We seem to have gotten them all." She said. "We have about four hours to complete the repairs."
"Great, let's get started." Harper replied, eager to finish and leave the area before the men woke up and started their infernal pounding again.
****
"Trance?" Holo-Rommie called out.
"I am here Andromeda." The purple girl replied, standing up from behind the large tree in hydroponics. "I just received a message from Dylan. He is a `honored guest' of Tourk until first light when he will face him in a challenge. Tyr is being held prisoner and last time Dylan saw him was unconscious. Beka's situation is the same as Dylan's. She is being held against her will but is not seriously hurt. Dylan wants to know if you have any information about something called the pit."
Trance paled slightly. She had not expected them to have knowledge of the pit or she would never have suggested that Dylan challenge Tourk.
****
****