Mach Earth
by Draconic Spirit

"When the people of Earth started to explore space, they never imagined the horrors that also traveled between the stars. They stood little chance against the creatures that attacked the heart of the human sphere, the Earth. The creatures called themselves machans. They outmatched the humans on Earth in strength and technology. They easily defeated the forces of Earth and enslaved the rest of the population. The people of Earth learned that the machans cared little about making treaties and peace with other worlds. They preferred to steal what they couldn't make themselves and forced populations that had what they wanted into doing their bidding. Things on Earth have become unbearable for the native inhabitants. Not only did the children grow up fast, but the adults had to change in order to survive as well. Life is hard for everyone. There are but two choices now. You are either a slave or a freedom fighter. Neither choice gives a person any rights in society, but at least as a freedom fighter one can try to gain back the rights that were lost when the Machans took over the planet..."

 

"Lieutenant Ryssa Karrigan," blared the intercom, "please report to Commander Burkum."

"What does he want this time?" muttered a woman sitting at a table. She narrowed her eyes and glared at the patch near the door where the voice had come from. She threw down the pen that she was holding in her left hand on the table in her sleeping quarters. Ryssa pushed away from the table and stood up. She grabbed the jacket hanging from a peg in the wall to fend off the chill outside her quarters. She marched smartly out her door. The door whistled shut behind her. The sound of her footfalls echoed off the rock walls of the cavern that served as a base for the freedom fighters.

Ryssa wasn't pleased to be called to the commander's office, especially since she just went off duty a few minutes ago. What could be so important that she couldn't even have time to rest after running the worst watch possible? If he was going to berate her for her performance again she would just point out his failings. She stormed through the main office and burst into a private office farthest from her private quarters.

"Lieutenant Karrigan," said a paunchy, balding man behind the desk, "how nice to see you again. Please, have a seat."

"Cut the crap, Burkum." Lieutenant Karrigan leaned against a wall. "What do you want?"

"I have a new mission for you."

"What is it this time? Another death defying tour through the sewers to see how long I can stand the stench of human and machan excretions." Ryssa pushed away from the wall and walked to the desk. Bending over she slammed her palms down on the desk her dark hair swishing forward, and stared angrily into the eyes of Commander Burkum. He started at the anger in her eyes and visibly trembled. "I've had just about enough of your lame-brained missions that even a rookie could accomplish without the guidance of an officer."

"Cool your jets, Lieutenant. This mission doesn't come from my desk, but from The Leader." Ryssa straightened and plopped down in the chair behind her. Burkum reached over and grabbed an envelope sitting on top of the desk. He handed the envelope to Ryssa and leaned back in his chair. The chair creaked and groaned in protest to the shifting weight. "The contents are for your eyes only. I was commanded not to see the contents, unless you deem it necessary for me to know."

Ryssa held the envelope gingerly in one hand and stared incredulously at Commander Burkum. "The Leader sent me a mission?! I didn't know he knew of me."

"Well, that envelope has your name on it, Lieutenant." Burkum glanced at the envelope and gestured at Ryssa. "Take some time and look over what was sent in that envelope. Let me know when you are to leave. You are dismissed, Lieutenant." Burkum and Karrigan both stood up. Karrigan saluted him with a casual wave of her hand and left the office.

Ryssa walked through the cavern back to her quarters in a semi-trance. A mission from the Leader. She was just a low level officer in the smallest division of the Freedom Fighters. How would the Leader know of her? Ryssa fingered the edge of the envelope contemplatively. She wondered what sort of mission the Leader had sent her. She could hardly wait to reach the privacy of her quarters. Ryssa entered her quarters and the door swished shut behind her. She pressed a button and the door produced an audible click. Ryssa placed the envelope on her table and sat down. She drew a knife from the sheath in her boot and broke the seal of the envelope.

She reached inside the envelope and withdrew two data disks and a sheet of paper. Ryssa read the paper.

'Lieutenant Karrigan, enclosed with this letter are two data disks. One contains the mission. The other holds pertinent information for the completion of said mission. This mission is vital to the success of the resistance against the Machan claim on this planet. The hope of the world is in your hands, Lieutenant. Good Luck,

The Leader.'

Ryssa reached into her right thigh pocket and pulled out a portable disk reader. She put the first data disk in and flipped the reader on. The audio crackled and the view screen flickered as it came online. The view screen cleared and an image appeared. The image was a silhouette of a person sitting behind a desk. The sound crackled again and cleared.

"Lieutenant Ryssa Karrigan," began the message in a hollow and flat voice, "if you are watching this then my messenger did its job. I am the Leader. I am sorry I cannot reveal myself to you at this time for security reasons. All will be disclosed when you come to Headquarters. You have been selected for this mission because of your knowledge of the underground passages and city streets of New Macha and for your skills in weapons and tactics. Your mission is to abduct the machan female known as Aurianne Jorlin, who resides in New Macha. The second data disk contains the information on Aurianne. But be careful for this female is not like other machan females. You will need help with this task. I have taken the liberty of selecting some of my people to help you with this endeavor, but I have left two slots open for you to fill. Do not tell anyone but those you choose to come with you. Choose your comrades carefully. The rest of your team is located at the headquarters of the Freedom Fighters. Good luck, Lieutenant." The sound crackled again and the screen went blank.

Ryssa turned the disk reader off and ejected the first data disk and inserted the second one. She flipped the power back on and on the screen appeared a fuzzy three-dimensional figure rotating slowly. Ryssa silently cursed the fact that she didn't have the rank to commandeer a holographic disk reader. Her old reader could barely display the figure due to the low quality of her screen. She tinkered with the controls of the view screen until the figure became more distinct. The figure was that of a relatively young woman that at first glance appeared human. There were a few variants that could only be of machan origins. The ears were one of the main things that set the humans and machans apart. The machan ears were slightly pointed and tended to stick out to the sides a bit. Another thing that set the humans and machans apart was the odd star-like patterns on their foreheads. This machan that Ryssa was looking at had hair the color of burnished gold. Her eyes were wide, round, and deep blue in color. The star design on her forehead was the same color as her hair. Her body was athletically trim. Her skin was the same color as all machans, being ripe peach. Beneath the figure appeared the name Aurianne Jorlin. The rest of the information gave her address and daily habits.

'Looks like I get to leave this rat hole of a base,' Ryssa thought. She had only known this base and now, because of the mission she had received, she must actually go to the headquarters of the entire rebellion. But who would she take with her to HQ? She was allowed only to pick two people to accompany her and she must be able to trust them with her life if need be. One, of course, would be her brother, Jonathan. The other, she had no idea. Jonathan might have an idea on who would be the best choice . Of course, he would probably choose his current flame, Kathryn Mackenzie.

Kathryn had been part of the Freedom Fighters since it began. She was there when the Leader organized the resisters to make them more effective against the invaders. She also knew the streets of New Macha when it used to be Saint Louis. That knowledge would be useful, but Ryssa wasn't sure that she could be trusted because of her background as a thief. Kathryn might be her only other choice. Ryssa had worked with her before and was pleased with the way she handled herself. Besides Kathryn was experienced in these types of things. Who better to plan a stake out than a former thief? She would have to ask Jonathan his opinion of Kathryn to find out how much she could be trusted.

Ryssa finished scanning the information on the disk. She deactivated the device and put it and the disks in her thigh pocket. She exited her quarters and headed towards one of the branches of the cavern. It was time to find Jonathan. Knowing him, he was probably shooting things with that blaster rifle of his. He was the only one she knew who preferred using bulky range weapons, even in close quarters. He had a way of using that rifle of his quite effectively in all types of circumstances.

As she walked by the other rooms, she could hear the cheerful chatter of families. As an officer she rated private quarters but she was quartered in the only single occupant room near the married couples and families wing of the cavern. It was a constant reminder of everything that she had lost and longed to have again. Hearing and seeing these happy families never failed to depress her. She had lost so much because of the occupation of Earth by the Machans. She was lucky to still have her brother.

Ryssa could hear the faint resounding echo of blaster fire. She followed the sound to the source. She found Jonathan on the shooting range practicing. She walked along the backside of the cave that served as the practice range careful not to disturb the other people practicing with hand blasters. She approached her brother and tapped him on the shoulder after he had fired his last shot. Jonathan turned around and backed up in surprise. His eyes blinked rapidly behind the telescopic view lenses. He pushed the frame of the lenses up onto his forehead.

"Ryssa, what's up? It's gotta be important. You don't usually bother me on the shooting range."

"It is. I got a new mission."

"A mission from Burkum? He only sends you and your team to explore New Macha disguised as slaves."

"The mission's not from that poor excuse of a man. It's from the Leader himself."

"Are you serious!? The Leader gave you a mission?" He gave Ryssa a wide eyed expression. Ryssa chuckled silently at his reaction to her news. Her lips twitched ever so slightly at the corners. He wasn't an easy person to stun.

"I'm serious, Jonathan. I'm allowed to bring two people from this base with me on this mission. I want you to come with me." Ryssa turned her back on Jonathan and clasped her hands behind her. "I also want your honest opinion about Kathryn Mackenzie." Ryssa turned back around to face her brother. "I know you two have been an item for a number of months. I also know about her history as a thief. I need to know. Is she trust worthy, Jonathan?"

"I trust her, Ryssa. Kathryn has never given me a reason not to trust her." He arched an eyebrow and looked Ryssa in the eye. Jonathan blue eyes penetrated his sister's green eyes. "Why are you asking?"
Ryssa returned his look full force. "I thought I might ask her to come on this mission, too. Her skills would come in handy on this one."

"Exactly what is this mission?"

"I can't tell you here. There are too many people who could overhear. It's top secret. Not even Burkum knows what this mission is."

"That's classified!" Jonathan gave a low whistle. "Let's go find Kathryn. She'd love a good mission just as much as you." Ryssa and Jonathan exited the shooting range and went to find Kathryn. They found her sitting in the dinning cavern with a few young fighters.

"Kathryn, look what's coming," shouted one of the young men with her. "It's the lieutenant and her watchdog."

"Yep, it's Shit-for-mission Karrigan and her faithful dog."

"More like her whipped dog." Everyone started to snicker and chortle, but Kathryn was not amused.

"That's not very funny, Nolan." Derision dripped from her voice. Kathryn stood up and glared at the younger freedom fighters. "Do you even know what they went through? She beaten and raped as a slave. You've never seen the scars on her back, have you?" All the young fighters shook their heads in denial. Some of the young men were slack jaw. This was something they hadn't heard before. Kathryn slammed a fist onto the table with such force that the dishes rattled and cups threatened to topple. "Before you make another snide comment about those two again, you had better rethink your position." Kathryn spun around and stormed away. She nearly ran down Jonathan and Ryssa before she caught herself. Jonathan reached out to steady her. Kathryn blushed profusely when Jonathan grabbed her arm.

"Thanks for standing up for us," he said.

"It's not necessary for you to do so. I'm used to the snide comments and the snickering behind my back." Ryssa looked at Kathryn with a small one-sided smile on her face. "But thank you."

"Those young fighters really get on my nerves," said Kathryn vehemently. "They have never been slaves and will never understand the pain of losing their freedom." She sighed in exasperation. "Why is it I have to train those young fools?"

Jonathan put an arm around her shoulders and propelled her towards the entrance of the dining hall. "You train them because Burkum gave you no choice but to teach them your special skills."

"Great!" Her voice was rife with sarcasm. "I'm the corrupter of morals. I teach children how to steal. Just what I always wanted." Kathryn looked at Ryssa. "I want to go on missions, not train people to go on them. I guess you and I are a lot alike, Ryssa. You and I both suffer from the commander's medieval notions."

"All too true, Kathryn. Burkum believes a woman's place is one without danger. It drives me nuts." Ryssa gave Kathryn an impish smile. Kathryn looked quizzically at that smile. "How would you like to get away from here for a while?"

"I'd love it."

"Then come with Jonathan and me."

"Where?"

"For now, my quarters." The three walked off into the sleeping quarters, where Ryssa explained the particulars of their new mission.

The following morning they gathered their equipment and prepared to leave the base. All three were wearing their dark colored combat uniforms displaying the rank and duty section. Ryssa had a duty command officer badge on her right sleeve. Strapped to her left leg was an enormous hand blaster. Kathryn was similarly dressed except she had a reconnaissance trainer's badge on her right sleeve and a smaller blaster strapped to her right leg. Jonathan was wearing the same type of uniform but with a marksmanship trainer's badge on his sleeve and a small blaster strapped to his leg. He had his blaster rifle slung across his back. They each carried a small pack containing spare clothing and other materials that would help them on their mission.

Seeing them off was Commander Burkum. He was the only other person to know that they were leaving. He knew where the mission was to take place, he just didn't know what the mission was. Burkum wore a sour expression on his face displaying his dislike of losing three of his people, but his eyes burned with an inner fire that gave Ryssa the chills.

His eyes were filled with anger and hatred. Ryssa wondered why he was so filled with these emotions. She never got along with the overbearing base commander. He always despised her because of her command abilities. She never understood why he disliked her, most commanders would welcome a person who was willing to take charge when the need arose. Burkum looked down on anyone better than him and disliked any woman better than him. He just wasn't a tactical genius and completely tactless. Not even this could explain the hatred that Ryssa could see burning in his eyes.

Ryssa decided to ignore the hatred for now, but to keep it in mind in case she ever returned to this base or ran into him sometime in the future.

"We're ready to leave, sir." Ryssa and her two companions saluted the commander. Burkum returned the salute and the three completed their salutes.

"Good luck, Lieutenant," said Burkum. The three stepped into the ovoid shaped pod that would transport them to the freedom fighter headquarters. The hatch slid closed. The pod lifted silently into the air. There was a slight humming noise then a beam shot from the top of the pod to form a shimmering blue spatial rift that would convey them to the transport station at the headquarters. The pod zipped into the rift, disappearing in a flash of light.

The pod reappeared at the transport station of the underground headquarters of the freedom fighters near New Macha. The hatch slid open and the three exited the pod. They were approached by the young man on duty and a smartly dressed female officer. The five exchanged salutes.

"Lieutenant Karrigan, welcome to headquarters," said the woman. "I am Sandra Phillips, personal aide to the Leader. The Leader extends greetings to you and your team. He would also like for you to join him for the evening meal tonight."

"Thank you, Ms. Phillips." Ryssa walked down off the raised platform. "We would be happy to join the Leader this evening."

"He will be most pleased to meet you tonight. Now if you'll just follow me, I'll show you to your quarters." Ms. Phillips lead the way out of the transport station with Ryssa, Jonathan, and Kathryn following.

The three fighters spent their time, after ditching their gear in their quarters, familiarizing themselves with the layout of the headquarters. Ryssa took off by herself to explore, while Jonathan and Kathryn went in search of the shooting range.

Ryssa wandered about the headquarters until she reached the mess hall. She got a cup of coffee and proceeded to a vacant table. She sat down and sipped her coffee slowly. Ryssa gazed off into space contemplating, her life since the appearance of the machans on Earth.

She had been one of the first of the humans caught by them and one of the first to escape their slave pens. Before she managed to escape, Ryssa had be severely beaten and whipped leaving her back nothing but a mess of scars. If it hadn't been for one of the young male machans, she would have died within the first two months of the occupation. That male seemed so different from the others. He treated her wounds and comforted her in her misery. He was treated just as rough as the humans if not more so. She always wondered why he was treated like that by his own kind. She was just glad some one had been there for her. Shortly after meeting him her brother managed to find her and take her to the base. She had always wondered what had become of her companion from the slave pens.

Her parents hadn't been so lucky. They were the first of the casualties. But maybe they were the lucky ones. They never had to see the destruction and suffering of the people on this planet. They never had to suffer through the cruelties inflicted by the machans. They never had to see their daughter beaten and raped.

Ryssa shuddered and her eyes filled with tears. She tried to hold them back but one managed to escape and slowly trekked down her cheek. Those were some of her worst memories and the most painful. Ryssa swiped angrily at the falling tear. She shouldn't cry now. She didn't have the time or the energy to waste on her emotions.

"Mind if I join you?"

Ryssa looked up at the person who had spoken. Standing across the table from her was a man about her age. He had shaggy golden blond hair and golden brown eyes. Ryssa was startled. He looked remarkably like the young male that helped her in the slave pens, except he had dark blue headband covering his forehead. He was wearing a uniform similar to Ryssa's.

"Go ahead, have a seat." Ryssa gestured to the vacant chair at the table. The man sat down.

"I haven't seen you around here before."

 

"I'm not from here."

"Oh." The two sat there for a while in silence. "I'm Corrin. What's your name?"

"I'm Ryssa." She took a sip of her cooling coffee. Ryssa made a face at her cold coffee. "I think I need a new cup of coffee. This stuff is terrible when it is cold."

"Here try this." Corrin reached into a pocket and pulled out a small rectangular strip. He placed it on the bottom of the cup. The coffee immediately started to steam.

Ryssa took a sip of the steaming coffee. "Thank you, Corrin." Ryssa smiled. The taste of the coffee was just right. "Where'd you get the heating strip?" Ryssa arched one eyebrow quizzically.

"I found it on a retrieval mission a few weeks ago." Corrin shrugged his shoulders. "There were a lot of those things found on that mission. I could get you one if you want."

"These little things could be useful." Ryssa looked at the small strip on her cup. "I'll take you up on that offer." Ryssa looked down at her watch and noticed the time. "Shit, I'm late. I've gotta go. See you later, Corrin." She pushed her chair back and stood up. She reached her hand out to Corrin. He took her hand and nodded. The two separated and Ryssa went back to the quarters assigned to her and her companions.

That evening, Ryssa, Jonathan and Kathryn were escorted to a private dinning area to eat with the Leader. While they were being escorted there, Ms. Phillips told them that they would be meeting the rest of the team for their mission. Ryssa was nervous about meeting these new members of her team. She didn't know how many people would be added to her team, but hopefully not too many. Otherwise the mission could become difficult to handle. Too many people could slow down the team.

When they were ushered into the dinning area, Ryssa gasped. Seated at the table was Corrin, the man she had met earlier. He was still dressed the same, except he now wore a brown headband.

He turned around when he heard Ryssa gasp. His eyes widened and his mouth gaped open. His eyebrows rose till they almost disappeared beneath the headband. He quickly schooled his features into an appearance of outward calm. He stood up and saluted the lieutenant. Ryssa returned the salute and all standing were seated.

Ryssa scanned the other two people sitting at the table. One was a tough looking woman with cropped blond hair and ice blue eyes. The other was a young man with immaculate cut black hair and coal black eyes. Ryssa turned her attention towards the head of the table where the Leader sat patiently. He had red hair and pale blue eyes. The Leader was dressed in the same uniform as everyone else but with the addition of a blood red headband across his forehead.

"How are you, Lieutenant Karrigan?" asked the Leader.

"Fine, sir." Ryssa nodded her head.

"That is good to hear, Lieutenant. Allow me to introduce the rest of your team for your mission. The woman is Donna Farley. She is an expert scout. The man with the black hair is Terry Sheldon; an experienced tracker. The other man is Corrin Hughes. He is your jack of all trades. You need something done, he'll do it." The Leader nodded in the direction of each person as they were mentioned. Each person said a greeting in return. "If you would, Lieutenant, please, introduce your companions."

"Of course, sir." Ryssa indicated Jonathan with a gesture of her hand. "This is Jonathan Karrigan." She nodded towards Kathryn. "And this is Kathryn Mackenzie." Both Jonathan and Kathryn nodded their heads in acknowledgment of the introductions. With the greetings over the group of people began to eat the dinner chicken and rice prepared for them. The meal was consumed in silence. After the meal the Leader announced that the team would depart in the morning for the Gateway Base in New Macha.

The city was restless. The old government buildings had been converted into homes for the machan overlords. The old Marriot Hotel housed the lower class machans and their slaves. The slaves were scurrying between the tall buildings. The slaves knew that if they didn't complete the tasks quickly that there would be severe repercussions.

The slight noise of a manhole cover lifting could barely be heard of the racket of the slaves and their masters' bellowing orders. Donna peeked out from beneath the cover. She scanned the area and then slowly removed the cover the rest of the way off the manhole. She silently crept towards the entrance to the alley. She peered around the corner. Finding nothing she went back to the manhole. She put her hand in the manhole and waved it. She went back to the end of the alley.

The five other members of the team climbed silently out of the manhole. Terry moved forward and joined Donna. Donna and Terry slipped unnoticed into the stream of people on the streets. Ryssa, Jonathan, Kathryn and Corrin remained in the dark alley for the two to return with information on the whereabouts of Aurianne Jorlin. A short time later the two returned. Donna and Terry motioned for the rest to follow. The team headed out into the city streets.

Ryssa gave silent orders with her hands for the team to spread out. Donna and Corrin went ahead of the group. Kathryn and Jonathan took the middle ground, while Terry and Ryssa covered the rear. The three groups took different routes to reach the rendezvous point near the residence of the machan woman. They reached the alley that was the rendezvous point without mishap. The team waited in silence. Donna and Terry left shortly to secure the way to the wooded area where the Gateway Arch used to be.

The slaves moved faster when a machan was around. It was rare that a machan would walk alone on the crowded streets of any city. More unusual was the appearance of a machan female roaming the streets. The machan females were very reclusive and dominated by the males. To see one roaming the streets of New Macha was strange indeed. The machan woman walked with mincing steps and stayed along the sides of the buildings in the shadows. She wore dark colors of the traditional flowing and functional garments of her race.

It was just to be a simple abduction of a machan female. Machan females were suppose to be weaker and shorter than the males of their race. This one was larger than normal. Aurianne Jorlin put up only a token resistance. Corrin and Jonathan grabbed her from behind while Kathryn placed a gag in her mouth and secured it with a strip of linen. Ryssa reached down to her boot and drew her knife. Holding it so that the flat of the blade ran along her arm, she reached up and hit Aurianne on the back of the head. Aurianne slumped in the arms of Corrin and Jonathan. Ryssa put the knife away.

Jonathan released his hold on the machan female. Corrin slung her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. Ryssa signaled for them to return to the Gateway base. She and Kathryn took the point positions, while Jonathan brought up the rear. Keeping to the shadows as much as possible, they silently moved through the alleys towards the wooded area of town near the river where the base was. The team reached the wooded area without mishap.

Ryssa and Kathryn parted the brush to allow clear passage for Corrin with his burden. He ducked through and in the process his headband was tugged off by a low-hanging branch. Jonathan came up behind him and the two women ducked through while he covered their backs. Jonathan backed up through the opening cautiously. He kept his eyes facing the city, constantly scanning for unusual movements. Once he was sure that everything was clear he turned around and followed the direction the others had taken. He caught up with them shortly where Donna and Terry were waiting for them.

There was an uneasy silence among the group. They were all looking at Corrin and there was fear in their eyes. Jonathan looked Corrin over and noticed the missing headband. Under where it should have been was a golden star pattern. His ears were also sticking out to the side more and they were noticeably pointed. There was no mistaking Corrin's machan heritage.

Jonathan leveled his blaster rifle on Corrin. Kathryn also had her hand blaster pointed at him. Ryssa was too shocked to bring her weapons to bear on him. He looked just like the machan that had helped her when she was in the slave pens. Donna and Terry both were wearing amused grins on their faces. They weren't even surprised to see Corrin's origins revealed to them.

"What's going on here?" Ryssa hissed the questioned at Corrin. "Why are you working for the Freedom Fighters?"

He shrugged his shoulders. This caused him to jostle the female he had slung across his shoulders. Aurianne groaned slightly. "Can we talk about this later? We have to get her back to the base before she wakes." Ryssa nodded.

"Before we go," interrupted the throaty voice of Donna, "let's cover our tracks."

"Yes," agreed Terry. "You all go on ahead. Jonathan and I will find Corrin's headband and then catch up to you before you enter the Gateway Base."

Ryssa nodded agreement. Jonathan and Terry turned around and headed back the way he had come from just a short time before. Ryssa signaled the rest of the team to move out. They hadn't been walking for more than five minutes when they heard the unmistakable sound of blaster fire coming from behind them.

The three women spun around with their weapons at the ready. Their eyes were scanning the surrounding area intensely. Kathryn moved out to the side into the foliage surrounding them. She disappeared from sight, blending into the surroundings. Corrin set his burden down under some nearby bushes. He drew his blaster from his holster and faded away into the brush on the other side. Ryssa and Donna both stepped off the path into the foliage.

They could hear stumbling footsteps approaching from the direction that Jonathan and Terry were. Every now and then there would be a pause in the footfalls. Ryssa stepped out into the open when she could see who was approaching. It was Terry and he was supporting a barely conscious, bleeding Jonathan and carrying Jonathan's blaster rifle.

Kathryn and Ryssa gasped when they saw Jonathan. Kathryn rushed over to support his other side. Donna and Corrin stepped out of the cover of the surrounding area. Terry motioned for Donna to come over. He reached into a pocket and pulled out Corrin's headband.

Donna grabbed it and went over to Corrin who was moving Aurianne out of bushes. Donna tapped his shoulder. He looked up at her hand holding out the headband. He put the headband on covering his ears and star pattern. He then bent over to pick up Aurianne in a fireman's carry.

Donna led the way to the base with Corrin and his burden following closely behind. Kathryn and Terry came next supporting Jonathan. Ryssa brought up the rear with her hand blaster and Jonathan's in her hands. They proceeded quickly to the base. They went as quietly as they could with the extra burden of Jonathan's injuries.

They made it to the entrance to the Gateway Base. Ryssa punched in the code to open the door. She then placed her hand on the palm reader for verification. The entrance irised open revealing the passage to the main part of the base. Everyone rushed into the base. Ryssa brought up the rear and closed the door. She punched in a special locking code that keep the door from being open for twenty-four hours. The others had continued on down the passage.

Terry and Kathryn helped Jonathan down to the medical wing for treatment. Ryssa followed them there. When she arrived, she noticed that Terry was standing in the waiting area. Kathryn and Jonathan were nowhere to be seen. She approached Terry.

"How is he?" Ryssa expression was worried. She had seen the amount of blood that had soaked Jonathan's shirt in various spots.

"I'm not sure, Lieutenant." Terry raised his eyes to met hers. His eyes were clouded over with worry. "We had just reached the area where Corrin's headband was. I was pocketing the headband when we were fired upon. Jonathan was standing in front of me when it all started. I'm not sure how many times he was hit, but he managed to wing a couple of the shooters before we ran from there." He glanced over towards the area where Kathryn and Jonathan had gone when they had arrived. "Kathryn is with him and the doctors."

"I hope he's all right," said Corrin from the doorway. Ryssa and Terry looked over to him. "I'm sorry he was injured on account of me."

"Don't blame yourself, Corrin." Terry walked over to the machan and laid a hand on his shoulder. "It could have just as easily been you, or Donna, or even myself. We just weren't paying enough attention because it was clear when we entered the woods."

"I know. But still it happened to Jonathan." Corrin heaved a sigh. He looked Ryssa in the eyes. He could see the pain in her eyes. He could also see the tears threatening to fall. Silently one tear slid slowly down her cheek. Corrin reached out a hand to brush the tear from her face. His face looked crestfallen when she shied away from his touch.

"I think I'll leave you two alone to discuss your differences," said Terry as he exited the medical wing.

Ryssa turned away from Corrin. She brushed angrily at her tears with her sleeve. She stifled the sobs that tried to wrack her body. She failed still the tears that fell from her eyes or her sniffling. Corrin placed a hand on her shoulder. She shuddered at the contact. Corrin dropped his hand back to his side.

"I guess I should explain myself." Ryssa silently nodded her head in acknowledgment. Corrin paused. He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "After you escaped the slave pens, I left for the woods. Sad to say but I was ill equipped to survive in the wilderness. A short time after that the Leader found me. He himself is a machan. There are actually many machans in the Freedom Fighters. We're the ones that don't approve of slavery or war. Aurianne Jorlin is one such. We had to kidnap her for she is an important person in machan society. Aurianne would have come willingly but she couldn't just disappear. She is the daughter of the richest and most influential male on Macha. She has access to all the technical and tactical information that could be useful in overthrowing the leaders and gaining peace. Having her kidnapped and held hostage was just a cover." Ryssa turned around to face Corrin. Her face was tear streaked. Her eyes were still shimmering with unshed tears. She gazed into Corrin's eyes and saw the truth in their golden brown depths.

"Thank you for telling me this, Corrin." She reached up and placed a hand on his arm. "And for telling me the truth." At this point Kathryn came into the waiting area. Ryssa and Corrin turned towards her in expectation.

"How is he?" asked Ryssa.

"The doctors managed to repair all the damage done to his body. But they had to give him a transfusion; he lost a lot of blood. If he survives the next few hours he should be fine." Kathryn stretched to ease aching muscles. "For now I think I'll find a bed and get some rest. You both should do the same. Don't worry about Jonathan. The doctors said they would notify the rest of the team if there is any change in his condition." Kathryn exited the room with Ryssa and Corrin following close behind.

Corrin wrapped an arm around Ryssa's shoulders. Ryssa jumped a little at the action, but then settled her head against his shoulder. It felt right to be comforted by the machan man. She never thought she would develop feelings for someone of a race that had caused her so much pain. With Corrin she actually felt safe and comfortable. She sighed and continued to walk with Corrin holding her to him.

As they were walking, Ryssa caught sight of someone that looked familiar. She gave the person a second look and did a double take. "What's he doing here?" she muttered.

Corrin looked down at her face. "Who's here?"

"Commander Burkum. The commander of my home base. He knows that I had a mission near New Macha. He has never left the base as far as I knew."

"That is strange. Commanders of any base rarely leave their bases. They don't even have missions to go on; they just assign them." Corrin glanced over at the commander. "We should keep an eye on him. Let's inform the rest of the team."

They hurried to catch up to Kathryn. After informing her of seeing Commander Burkum, Kathryn gave them a startled look.

"I've never trusted that man," Kathryn stated. She shuddered. "He has always given me the creeps."

"The last time I saw him there was hatred burning in his eyes."

"Why would he hate you, Ryssa?" asked Corrin.

"I'm not sure, except that I made him look bad more than once with my performance at that base."

"Hmm, it could be that." Corrin looked thoughtful. "I think one of us should stay with you at all times, Ryssa. And someone should be with Jonathan." They reached a branch in the cave. "You two should go and be with him. I've got to check on Aurianne Jorlin. She might just join the fighters since we are working for the same goal. I'll see you two later in the medical wing." Corrin walked down the side passage, leaving the two women to return to the medical facilities.

That night the two women were sitting in chairs outside the partition that Jonathan slept behind. The lighting was dim, barely bright enough to see. They both were dozing off. They had been sitting there for a few hours. Ryssa and Kathryn's heads kept bobbing down and jerking up. They were having problems staying alert. Corrin should be coming soon to relieve them so they could get some sleep.

Ryssa heard a noise and was instantly alert. She didn't move or make a sound. The noise was out of place in a medical facility. It was the sound of a blaster being activated. And it came from behind the partition. She could hear a whispering voice. She had problems making out the words but she strained to make sense of the whisper.

"You should have died today, Jonathan Karrigan. Now I'm going to make sure you die. Your sister made a fool of me for the last time."

Ryssa barely had time to react. She whipped her knife out of her boot and flung the partition aside. The noise and breeze created by this woke Kathryn. She hit the floor and tried to make herself as small a target as possible. Ryssa lunged toward the person standing over Jonathan. Her knife met flesh, cutting it to the bone. The man howled in pain and jerked his arm away from the knife. The man leveled the blaster at Ryssa. Ryssa jumped to the side just at the blaster fired. Ryssa felt a searing pain in her right shoulder. Her right arm went numb. She threw her knife at the man. The knife lodged itself in the man's chest. The man gasped for air and slumped to the floor. His hands were clutching at the hilt of the knife. A bright red stain spread across his chest.

Kathryn picked herself up off the floor from where she had fallen when the fight broke out. She looked over at Jonathan, seeing him still breathing evenly in a drugged sleep. She then spotted Ryssa leaning heavily against the wall. Blood stained the shoulder of her shirt. She was breathing heavily from exertion.

Ryssa was looking down at the man she had been fighting with horror. She knew the man. It was Commander Burkum.

Running feet could be heard coming closer. Ryssa looked up at the sound. She could make out the shadows of the approaching people. The first to arrive was Corrin and the medical staff. The staff checked over Burkum and then turned their attention to Ryssa who was now being held by Corrin. They motioned for him to put Ryssa on a bed in the next partition. They shooed him out when Ryssa was made comfortable on the bed.

They proceed to cut the shirt away from her shoulder to expose an ugly wound. The hole in her shoulder went all the way through, barely missing the bones. It was bleeding profusely. The skin was jagged and irregular They quickly sterilized and cauterized the wound and proceeded to close the wound. Ryssa gritted her teeth against the waves of pain that rushed through her shoulder as the medical team worked her over. It was over quickly.

An medical aide walked in while the medics were working on Ryssa's shoulder. He held a scanner in his hand.

"Sir," the aide addressed the head medical officer in the enclosure, "we did a bioscan of Commander Burkum's body and found some chemical irregularities."

"'Chemical irregularities?'" questioned Ryssa.

"Yes, ma'am. It appears that the commander had been drugged for an indeterminate amount of time."

"Is that why he attacked Jonathan?" Ryssa gingerly slipped a shirt on that a medic handed her, wincing when the muscles in her shoulder protested the movement.

"It could very well by the case." The aide scrolled through some files on the scanner, glancing at the information. "Some of the chemicals we found have a tendency to cause paranoia and hallucinations that lead to delusions." The aide flipped the scanner closed and handed it to the medical officer standing behind Ryssa. The officer placed the scanner in his pocket. "We'll have to look into this further."

"Thank you," Ryssa said. She hopped off the bed and left the enclosure. Ryssa was immediately descended on by Kathryn and Corrin. While the medics were working on her, Terry and Donna had arrived. Ryssa told them what had happened a short time ago. Terry and Donna were shocked to find that a base commander had actually assaulted her. What was even more shocking was the fact that he was the one behind shooting Jonathan earlier that day.

Now that the danger had passed, Ryssa just wanted to find a soft bed and sleep away the remaining soreness in her shoulder. The small group headed out to the sleeping quarters to get some much deserved rest.

The following morning, with a weak but otherwise restored Jonathan and a tired Ryssa the group headed for the transport that would take them and their prisoner, Aurianne Jorlin, to the headquarters. Aurianne was actually a likable person and quickly won the respect of the entire group. She was allowed to remain conscious for this trip.

When they got to the headquarters they were welcomed by none other than the Leader. He welcomed them with hearty greetings being careful of the injuries of Jonathan and Ryssa. After greeting the team he turned his attention to Aurianne Jorlin.

"Welcome, Aurianne to your new home. I hope you will find this place suitable for your basic needs."

"Thank you for the gracious greeting. Now tell me why did you have me abducted from the streets of New Macha?"

"I have heard that you support the releasing of the humans from slavery and bringing peace to the machan race."

"That is true, sir."

"Tell me, would you be willing to help the Freedom Fighters attain the freedom they seek?"

"Yes. The males that control this place are lazy fools that think, just because they are stronger than anything else on this planet, they are all powerful. I would love the chance to rub their noses in it." Aurianne gave the Leader a smirk that told just how much she would love to end the tyranny and dominance of the male machans.

The Leader motioned for Sandra Phillips, who was standing in the corner, forward. "Ms. Phillips, please escort Ms. Jorlin to suitable quarters."

"Yes, sir." Ms. Phillips and Aurianne exited to room.

The Leader turned his attention to back to the team. "Well done, team. You have accomplished the mission assigned you without any loss of life. You all have the next two weeks off. Go and have fun for your two weeks. You are dismissed."

The team snapped to attention and saluted their leader. He returned the salute and the team left to enjoy their free time the way each saw fit. The Leader watched them leave with a smile on his face.