Eight days after leaving the forest, a low circle of hills appeared on the horizon off to the right of their path. As they drew closer, Tristan noticed a faint mist hanging over them in the morning chill. They were setting up camp for the night when he pointed them out to Aesia. “I think we should make for those hills. We may find water and game. If there is we could rest for a few days and regain our strength.”
She stood and looked where he pointed “But that’s out of our way.”
“Yes, but no more than half a day, I think it’s worth a try.”
She hesitated, her eyes searching his face. “All right, I’m exhausted and sick of this plain.”
The following morning, after breaking camp they cut towards the hills. As they drew closer the scrub was replaced by larger plants, and small trees growing on the slopes. When they crested the rise and looked down, a small valley spread out below them, an oasis of verdant green in the browns and olives of the grasses and bushes of the plain.
At one end of the valley, they found a pool fed by a tumbling waterfall emerging from a cave in a low cliff, glistening in the warm sunlight. A gentle stream gurgled as it danced over rocks before disappearing back underground at the far side of the valley. As they walked down towards the pool, small animals darted away from under their feet while others just sat and watched them, unafraid. The largest creature seemed to be a small deer like creature similar to the ones Tristan had seen before in the forest where they had crashed. He could almost reach out and touch them. Their indifference confirmed there were no large predators in the valley.
They soon reached the pool, and stood by the crystal clear water. Aesia dropped her walking stick, threw her head back and spun round with her arms extended. “Oh this is wonderful!” She beamed at Tristan. “How did you know?”
“The mist over the hills in the morning. There had to be water and well… I just hoped.”
“I want to swim in that pool and feel clean.” She held out her hand to Tristan. “Come on.”
“Be careful, we don’t know what’s in that water, and mind your leg.”
She turned back to him one eyebrow raised. “Oh Tristan! We have not seen anything dangerous in any of the rivers and streams we have come across, and the pool is only small. Besides I can see the bottom.”
Tristan looked at her smiling face, and the sudden change was unbelievable. His heart banged against his ribs as her smile started to have an effect on him. He took a deep breath trying to force his racing heart to quieten. No! He paused for a moment before following her to the edge of the pool. It was shallow, with a smooth rock bottom, the water crystal clear and no sign of animal life.
She knelt and touched the water with her hand. “It’s warm.” She sat and removed her boots.
Tristan looked at her suspiciously “You’re suddenly happy and different, what’s changed?”
She shrugged “This place reminds me of my home where I grew up, that’s all.”
She stood, pulled off her belt, stepped out of her uniform overalls and dived naked into the water. She turned to Tristan, her face wet and smiling. “Come on.”
He turned round before removing his clothes to prevent her seeing how she had begun to affect him. He stepped backwards into the pool. It was warm, with a slight mineral taste. The water must have come from deep underground. She splashed him and laughed. He smiled. The water had a soothing effect on him and he rubbed off the weeks of grime and floated, letting the warmth soak into his body. Aesia had her back to him as she concentrated on washing her hair.
Taking advantage of her distraction he stood and walked over to a flat rock and lay down in the sunshine to dry. He concentrated on getting control of his emotions, ignoring the heat in his groin, fighting the feelings that had been growing in him during their forced walk and the nights sleeping together for warmth. He regained control, the cool air on his skin dissipating the heat in his loins. He sat up reaching for his clothes when a splash caught his attention.
Aesia had stood and was wading over to him. He felt the tension return as she drew closer. Her wet hair cascaded down her slim body, partly covering her breasts. Water drops glistened like jewels on her skin in the sunlight, her strange cat like eyes, pointed ears, and small firm breasts made him think she must be the embodiment of a water nymph, this waterfall and pool, hers to command.
A lump rose in his throat and a constriction tightened across his chest, heat returning to his body. “God, you are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen!” He blurted it out without thinking.
She stopped; he held his breath, felt his face burn and with a pounding heart waited for the outburst of indignation. Her skin between her breasts went darker and the flush went to her neck and cheeks. She turned away as if embarrassed at her nakedness. She stumbled on a wet rock. Tristan leapt to his feet and went over to her.
He knelt beside her. “Your leg, are you OK?”
“Yes I think so.” She looked up at him with her blue eyes, and she shook her head slightly “No... I...” she whispered it softly. Her lips parted, her tongue flicked across them making them glisten. Suddenly the air around them seemed to crackle and his heart pounded; the fresh smell of her, the warmth of her naked skin, he kissed her. Her body trembled beneath him. He half expected a slap but her tongue sought his.
She felt him harden against her thigh. The barrier she had been holding ever since she first touched his mind collapsed. She could not deny herself any longer. She wanted him with every fibre of her being. He was not one of her people, his ways strange, being an alien, but her desire radiated out from a hard knot in her very core, taking all reason with it. This was the point of no return, she could not go back now.
Her heightened senses were aware of him. She was hot with need, aching for him. The kiss had sealed both their fates.
He shifted position laying, his body over hers. Her heart pounded and blood raced like molten fire in her veins. Her arms went round his shoulders, pulling him down to her. She arched her back as she grabbed is hand and guided it to her breast. Throwing her head back she groaned as he kissed her neck and her breast hardened beneath his hands.
She clung tightly to him, her body writhing and breathing heavily between little sobs and sighs. She guided him with her hands and her mind. He kissed her face, long pent up tension and passion gripped them. She reached for him, wrapping her legs round his thighs to pull him deep into her. The permanent connection was made. The sudden telepathic and physical connection caused her senses to explode. Tristan gritted his teeth as her body pulsed in rhythmic waves around him.
She tightened her legs round his back, pulling him ever closer to her. He was taking her to a place that stole her soul. The heat engulfed them. They moved together slowly at first then ever faster. The second explosion came far more powerful than the first and she bit his lip as shuddering uncontrolled waves took her body. She held him to her, her legs pulling him deeper and their embrace so hard that they both felt they occupied the same place in the universe. They were for one powerful, overwhelming moment, the same person, minds as well as bodies linked in a burning fire, giving and receiving under a strange sun.
They lay together in the warm sunlight, totally spent. After a while she lifted her head to look at him, her long soft hair cascading over his chest. “Tristan?”
“Yes?” He looked up into her strange blue eyes each like a cloudless blue sky. “What?”
“When we mate it is for life, you felt the connection didn’t you?”
He nodded. “Yes, I have never experienced anything so intense before.”
“The first time Sicceians mate there is change, our telepathic connection is synchronised, and it can only happen to us once. It is not like that for your species is it?”
He regarded her silently for a moment, her presence in his mind like a gentle caress. “Normally no, we do tend to bond for life, but it is in no way irreversible.” There was a sensation of wistfulness, tinged with fear coming from her.
She nodded, her hair tickling his chest. “Like you and Sarah?”
Tristan did not know whom she meant for a moment. “With you it was totally different, something has changed.” The faint edge of fear receded from her mind.
He stroked her hair. “When I was in the Navy I volunteered to be part of an experimental weapons program,” he continued as she rested her chin on his chest, watching him. “It involved a direct connection to the weapon through an implanted interface. Something went wrong. They were not sure why or how but my mind rejected it. They could not remove it. I was severely compromised with constant headaches. I lost my confidence, my ability to function properly. They pensioned me off.”
She nodded. “Go on.”
“When I got close to your ship for the first time something happened, I could communicate with it. All I could think was your ship activated the implant, I don’t know how because I was told it had fused, but the constant ache suddenly vanished. I have not had a headache since. The point is, while we were making love I was overwhelmed at the connection we had. I know it would never be the same with anyone else and ordinary humans don’t have your ability anyway. My relationship with Sarah was empty and meaningless in comparison.”
He sighed. “It can only ever be you from now on. You have spoiled me for anyone else.” He smiled.
“Good!” She moved deliciously against him, his pulse quickened, and the fire returned. He pulled her towards him as she whispered in his ear, “I want you again.”
Much later, as the sun started to dip behind the hills, a faint chill was felt in the air. She sat up and reached for her clothes “Tristan?”
“Hmmm, come back here.” He reached for her. She nestled against him her jacket thrown across her shoulders. The wistful emotions had returned.
“Tristan?”
“Yes.”
“We can never have children.” She paused. “It is an imperative for us, females of my species I mean.” He felt her sadness as she said it. “Every cross species mating is sterile.”
He squeezed her. “Let’s not think of that now, we have a long way to go.” She nodded and he felt her put the thought out of her mind. “Aesia, how many species are there?”
“Oh, about thirty-five that we know of, why?”
“Do they all look more or less the same?” he asked, ignoring her question.
“How do you mean, the same?”
“Well, but for minor differences, like us; two arms, two legs, walk upright that sort of thing.”
“Yes.”
“Does that not strike you as strange?”
She shook her head. “No, I’ve never thought of it.”
“Well think for a moment, Alien species evolving on different planets which before space flight would be totally isolated, what are the chances of them being almost identical? You are built the same as a human female, have the same physiology, respond during intercourse to the same stimuli. Is that possible in a totally random universe?”
“No, I suppose not.” She paused. “You have mentioned that before, I really don’t know.” She shivered. “I’m getting chilly, let’s put up our shelter.”
They stayed in the oasis for almost a week. Tristan could quite easily have stayed there forever with her, but they had to move on. By this time, Aesia could almost walk normally; all she had was a slight limp.
On the morning of the sixth day they broke camp and left their oasis.
The weeks went by. They had settled into a routine, each day bringing them closer to their goal. They eventually reached a range of hills on the edge of the great plain and had to climb them. Sometimes the going got difficult, and Tristan worried that Aesia might fall and damage her weakened leg.
After a couple of days, they had reached the top of the last band of hills. Tristan looked down, glittering in the distance and catching the sunlight was a large lake or sea stretching in either direction as far as the eye could see.
“Now that is something I had not thought of. A sea between us and the beacon.”
Aesia came up behind him and took his hand. “Maybe we can walk round it?”
Tristan sighed. “Maybe.”
They reached the shore late that afternoon. They sat down together and looked at the barrier before them. Tristan lay back in the soft, warm sand and cursed out loud, “Bugger!”
Aesia leaned on her elbow and looked down at him. As he looked back into her eyes, he noticed that they were no longer blue as the sky on a cloudless day. They were turning dark blue and had started to get green flecks in them.
“Your eyes are changing, there isn’t anything wrong is there?”
“Changing, how?”
“They are darker, with green flecks.”
She caught her breath. He felt surprise, disbelief and hope in her mind before she suddenly shut it off.
“What? - What was that?”
She hesitated for a moment before answering him, “It’s what happens to the females of my species once they were paired and mated.”
He sensed a half-truth and a frown passed his brow. “Are there any other changes?”
She shook her head and her long hair brushed his face. She squeezed him tight, rolled over and pulled him towards her. Much later, Tristan walked over to the water’s edge and tasted it. No hint of salt, so it could be a small freshwater sea or a large lake. If it had been salty, he would at least have a clue as to what they faced. Aesia’s direction finder indicated the beacon was directly in front of them when they faced out over the water. He walked back to where she sat watching him.
“We have two choices, it seems to me,” Tristan said. “We either walk round, or I build a raft and sail across.”
She looked at him. “Which do you think will be quicker?”
“I really don’t know. There is no way of knowing without having an idea as to how big it is.” He checked the computer. He had estimated their unit of distance was just under a mile. “We are three-hundred and fifty miles from the beacon so assuming thirty miles a day then twelve days sailing maximum.” He spoke half to himself.
“Tristan, what did you say”
“I was talking to myself sorry. If the maximum distance we have to travel is all on this lake it would take us around twelve days sailing.”
“So which is easiest then?” she asked.
Tristan smiled. “Again, it depends how large it is. It will take me several days to build a boat, but if the shore runs back around us, we could be retracing our steps. If we try to walk round; then, of course, which way do we go, left or right?” He paused for a moment. “I think a raft gets my vote.”
Aesia looked doubtful, “Tristan, I have never been on a raft, or a boat for that matter.”
Tristan looked out over the water. “Well, as you pilot small spacecraft I am sure you won’t be seasick, especially as it’s calm… for the moment anyway. “I will build a raft, and we can try it out. If you really find you don’t like it then we will walk. How’s that?”
Aesia nodded. “All right, that seems fine to me. Let’s start tomorrow. The sun is still warm, I am sure we can think of better things to do this afternoon!” She smiled shyly at him.
“You’re insatiable!” He smiled.
Aesia lay on the warm sand looking up at the stars. Tristan was asleep next to her, exhausted after their lovemaking. She thought about what he had said to her. Her eyes were changing? She knew he had sensed her unreasonable surge of hope before she had locked it down. That is all she needed, her body playing tricks on her. Preparing itself for something that can never happen. A sigh shook her. “What a strange universe this is.”
The next morning Tristan started building a raft. He cut down several small trees and used vines as lashings. After a couple of day’s hard work, he had a serviceable raft with lashed trunks and cross members. He used the laser on low power to cut holes through the deck trunks to the cross members so they could be stitched and pegged together. It had to be really strong, as from experience, he had to expect and prepare for the worst at sea.
Water was not a problem since the lake was drinkable, so he concentrated on making a storage area for food. The next day he and Aesia fitted the mast. He used twisted vines for rigging and constructed a small cabin so that they had shelter if the weather deteriorated. One of the waterproof sheets would be used as a sail, and the other one as a spare. At the end of the fourth day, he had a seaworthy craft. The fifth day, they loaded everything onto the raft and lashed it all down. Tristan was not going to take any chances, and since Aesia was not a strong swimmer, he found some bark that was similar to cork, cut it into strips, and tied them together to form a life jacket.
There was no tide, as the planet had no moon. So Tristan had to dig away the sand around the raft to get it to float. There was an offshore breeze most of the time, so, once the raft was floating, it was a simple matter of hoisting the sail and steering it with the rudder that he had lashed to the stern. The raft worked perfectly. He checked to see if Aesia was all right with it. She seemed a little dubious but was willing to continue.
For the first three days the journey proved uneventful. Tristan had made some fishing line with the wire he had used for animal traps, so he tried his luck and caught several small fish. He used the laser on low power to heat one of the pans and grilled them. They tasted a little muddy, but did at least make a change to their usual fare. It did rain one day, but the shelter kept them dry.
The morning of the forth day dawned bright and sunny. As Tristan expected, the further south they travelled the warmer the weather. Tristan was holding the raft close to the wind and making good progress. He had just mentioned to Aesia how much easier sailing was compared to walking when the raft lurched. It caught her off balance, she staggered and with a cry fell overboard. She immediately bobbed on the surface coughing and spluttering. A large black shape emerged from under the raft.
Tristan’s heart leapt into his mouth, “Aesia stay still don’t kick or splash.”
“Why Tristan?”
“Just be still Aesia now!”
The black shape moved around the raft. Tristan pulled on the rudder spilling the wind from the sail and splashed it in and out of the water to attract the creature.
“Tristan what are you doing, is there something after me?” Panic gave her words a sharp edge.
The creature nudged the raft several times and actually lifted it out of the water. Tristan grabbed the laser pistol and fired as the shape swam from under the raft. The water boiled round the beam and with a flick of its tail the creature disappeared. “Aesia?”
“Tristan I’m over here. Please get me out of here!” She was by this time quite a bit astern of the raft. Pushing on the rudder and pulling the sail round to catch the wind Tristan turned the raft without taking his eyes off Aesia. If he were to lose sight of her now he would have difficulty finding her. As he had only scared the shark like creature away he did not know how much time he had before it came back.
“Come on, come on you lumbering cow.” Tristan muttered under his breath as the craft slowly turned. The wind filled the sail and the raft surged forward. As he got closer he spilt the wind from the sail and turned towards her. He raced to the side “Grab my hand Aesia,” She kicked forward as the raft drifted close and reached for Tristan’s outstretched hand.
Tristan noticed a black shape moving up from the depths under her. His fingers brushed against hers, he lent further out holding a rope with his other hand. Their fingers locked together. He pulled her forward then released his grip to grab her wrist. He pulled and stood up lifting her from the water. They fell together in a heap on the deck just as the gaping, teeth-filled jaws of the creature broke the surface. Robbed of its prey it turned and banged against the raft.
Tristan was glad he had stitched and pegged it together or they would both have been floating in the water and eaten. Aesia lay on the deck gasping.
“Are you all right,” Tristan asked as he pulled her up to a sitting position.
She nodded “Yes I’m fine but what about that?” The raft shook again.
“I will get rid of it.” He reached for the laser and after a couple of attempts finally drove the creature off.
Aesia decided that perhaps she didn’t like boats after all. When they finally made landfall a day later, Tristan could sense her relief as she stood on solid ground. Perhaps one day he would take her for a real sail on a pleasant lake with no monsters, and maybe she would change her mind.
They collected their gear from the boat and, after a cooked meal, continued their journey. Things were different on this side of the lake; it started to get hotter and dryer as they pushed on towards the beacon.
Now Tristan became the one suffering. He had never taken to the heat, and as they walked the land got hot and oppressive. Sweat trickled into his eyes and stung them. The terrain became more desert-like as they pressed onward. The sun beat down, sapping his strength and drying his throat. He was starting to feel sick. They had been walking into the heat for three days and the sand pulling at their feet was making progress even more difficult.
The forth day turned out to be the hottest so far. The early afternoon sun burned Tristan’s neck, his dry tongue was rough against the roof of his mouth. His vision blurred and with a groan he sunk to his knees, the hot sand burning his bare legs.
“Aesia?” She was ahead of him, the heat hardly affecting her at all, and his shout came out as a croak. She turned and ran back to him.
“Tristan?” She dropped to her knees beside him. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know, I feel awful, I can’t go on.” He fell forward on his face.
Warm water was being poured into his mouth, and as he coughed and tried to sit up his head ached, and strong gentle hands pushed him back. “Rest,” he heard a voice in the distance say.
He woke, a cool breeze blowing across his face. It was night, and the Milky Way spread in an arc above him. Aesia moved next to him.
“Tristan, are you all right?”
He nodded in the dark, knowing she could see much better than he. “Yes, I was stupid and I should have realised in the strong sun I was risking heat stroke.”
“Heat stroke?”
“Yes, the heat from a strong sun can affect me badly if my head is not covered.”
“Oh, how long before you will be able to continue?”
“I’m not sure, I have never had heat stroke before. The best plan is if I keep out of the sun during the day and walk at night, otherwise I won’t be able to get much further.”
“OK we can put the shelter up and rest during the day out of the sun. It’s nearly dawn so we should stay here for now and move tonight.”
“Thank you.”
She leaned over and kissed his forehead “Don’t be silly. You looked after me, now it’s my turn to look after you.”
Aesia gave him a sip of water and exhausted, he fell back to sleep.
He woke that evening, stretched and looked around for Aesia. She was sitting outside of the shelter watching the stars appear as the sun set on the opposite horizon. She turned as he approached.
“Hello how are you feeling now?” She asked
He sat down beside her. “Much better now, thanks.”
“I don’t want to worry you so soon after waking up, but we are getting short of water.”
Tristan turned towards her. “I thought we had a decent supply.”
“We did, but you’ve been drinking it. I let you have what you needed during your illness.”
Tristan shook his head. “I don’t remember that.”
“No,” she replied. “You were delirious most of the time.”
OK let me check then.” He stood and walked over to the rucksack and checked their supply. He judged they had sufficient water for another two days.
“Don’t forget, I won’t need as much as you, Sicceian superiority you know.” She smiled.
Tristan returned and sat down beside her. “Right then, I can set up a water trap, but we will need to stay put every third night to collect water.” Tristan knew he needed a lot to keep hydrated. They broke camp and continued their journey. They slept in whatever shade they could get during the day. Most times they constructed a simple shelter using one of the sheets to give them shade. On the third night Tristan set up a water trap using one of the waterproof sheets. He dug a pit with one of the pans at the bottom and then arranged the sheet in a cone-shape using some of the plentiful rocks scattered about in the sand so water would condensate out of the ground, collect on the sheet, then run down and drip into the pan.
Aesia was sceptical. “That won’t work will it?”
“It should, the nights are cold enough. Anyway, if it doesn’t work we - well I have a problem!”
The next morning when Tristan lifted the sheet the pan was brimming with fresh water. Tristan punched the air “Yes! It worked.”
Aesia hugged him. “Wonderful!”
They continued the new routine, walking during the cool nights and stopping every third to replenish their water. At least with the many small animals running about the desert food was not a problem.
One morning, after they had just chosen a spot to sit out the day, Tristan felt the wind on his face increase. He looked up and saw a red haze forming on the horizon. The wind grew in strength even as he watched. Sand whirled in little circles about their feet. “I think we’re in for a sand storm.”
“Sand storm? What’s a sand storm?” Aesia asked.
“You are about to find out.” Tristan stood. He had noticed there was a small rocky outcrop close by. “Quick, we must get out of the wind.” He grabbed Aesia’s hand and ran towards it.
He ran round the outcrop and found a small overhang that faced away from the wind and the approaching red cloud. He pulled out one of the sheets and set it across the overhang. Aesia helped him to weigh it down with large heavy rocks. He left one corner open so they could crawl in. Finally he made sure everything they had got stacked against the back wall of the overhang.
Aesia sat and leaned back against the rock wall. “Why are you so worried Tristan, what’s the hurry?”
Tristan closed the sheet over the opening, stacking more stones around it. Then having checked it looked secure he sat down next to her.
“A sand storm can suffocate you or if it’s strong enough flay the skin from your body. This one looks to be a big one.”
The wind slowly increased, causing the sheet to crack and flap. After a while, everything went dark, the sheet started to come loose, and they both had to hold it. The air became stifling and filled with dust, making it difficult to breathe. Tristan tore cloth from his shirt to make facemasks for them both. The noise of the wind rose to a high-pitched scream that seemed to go on forever.
Their arms ached and they were both starting to think they could not hold the sheet much longer, when the wind started to subside. An hour or so later the noise had abated, and the sheet hung slack. They both fell into an exhausted sleep.
They awoke to silence, the early evening sun streamed into the cave. Pulling back the sheet, they found sand had piled up against it, so they had to dig themselves out. Once they had freed themselves they climbed to the top of the outcrop and scanned the horizon. The receding storm made strange colours in the sky as the sun set through it.
Aesia shuddered. “I am thankful you knew what that was. I would have been caught in the open if I were on my own.”
Tristan put an arm round her waist. “You’re not on your own.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “No.”
Shortly after their ordeal with the sandstorm, the desert gave way to scrubland. After two more weeks of difficult walking, a range of mountains appeared on the horizon. In the heat haze, they looked close.
They had to walk for several more days before the range appeared to be getting closer. Once they reached the foothills they were able to quickly find the navigation beacon. It was a small, squat, concrete bunker, with a short metal tripod structure on the top. It had been cut into a sloping rock formation.
A flight of stone steps lead up to a heavy door. Tristan examined the door. “There were no catches or handles.”
Aesia smiled “The door is computer controlled”.
“But I don’t sense any computer.”
“It remains hidden until the correct sequence is sent to it.”
“I’m assuming you have the correct code?”
“Yes.”
Tristan thought for a moment. “You’ve been away for a long time. What happens if it has been changed?”
She laughed. “They are never changed. Siccean arrogance, remember?”
Tristan nodded. “Oh yeah!”
She sent a quick command. Tristan sensed the computer acknowledge and request authorisation codes.
A string of numbers formed in her mind.
Tristan looked sharply at her as nothing happened. “Don’t say we have come all this way and…” the door hissed and there was a puff of dust as it swung open. Aesia sighed, and Tristan felt relief