Give Me the Man Pt. 09

An hour after full dark, the two flyers lifted off the plateau and began their flight home, flying in loose formation at about the speed of a galloping horse. A fast galloping horse. As agreed, they tested the communication devices as they travelled.

"Vilna 1 to Tanart 1," said Ardan.

"Go ahead, Vilna 1." Velna's response was clear.

"All clear so far, we'll test again when we separate."

"Agreed. Tanart 1 out."

Also, as agreed, they landed briefly at the point where their routes home separated. Hugs all round and expressions of good will were exchanged.

"Jandol will be sorry he let me come on this trip," said Velna with a grin for Ardan. "But if the communicators have the range at least you'll be able to talk."

"We'll keep testing as we go. That last ridge before the Hold might be crucial. If we're still in touch when you get there, keep talking as you cross the ridge and head down, we'll see if there's a cut off."

"Okay, we'll do that. For now, we'd better get going, there's only a couple of hours before dawn, and we want to be under cover by then. Take care, and may the Goddess protect you."

"And you," said Ardan, giving his friend's sister a brief, fierce hug, echoed by Leara a moment later.

Dawn found the Vilna station flyer safely tucked under a gelin tree, well out of sight of any invader flyers. This time, Kira took first watch and used one of the cookers they'd found to brew herself a hot drink, sipping it while she looked around. Beside her, the communicator crackled, then Velna's voice.

"Tanart 1 to Vilna 1?"

"Vilna 1, aye?"

"Safely under cover. You? Over."

"Same. Over."

"Sleep well. Tanart 1 out."

Nothing disturbed the peace of the day and at the end of her two hours, Kira went over to wake Ardan only to find him already awake.

"Anything?" he said, and Kira shook her head.

"Nothing but birdsong," she said. "There's a pair of Yelka building a nest in that other gelin tree and they haven't shut up all of my watch." She grinned. "But they won't keep me awake."

"Okay, Kira, you're relieved and I'm on watch. Get your head down."

She nodded and tucked herself away in her bedroll. Ardan made himself comfortable, leaning against the tree, as relaxed as he could be while on watch, and settled to wait out his two hours. The time was almost over when he became aware of movement about a hundred paces away. He reached out to wake Leara and found her already awake.

"Ready to hand over?" she asked quietly, but he shook his head.

"Not yet, but we have company." She was beside him instantly, her energy gun in hand.

"Where and what?"

"Over there," he said, pointing, and they watched together as two figures made their careful way towards the flyer, keeping to cover as much as possible. Obviously human, one carried a bow, the other an invaders' tube weapon. When they were about thirty paces away, they stopped, and there was a soft call.

"Hello, the camp?"

Ardan stood. "Yes? What is it?"

"Can we come in? There are only the two of us."

"Come ahead slowly, and keep your weapons pointed away from us."

The two figures did as requested and scuttled, almost, across to where Ardan and the others waited. Under the cover of the gelin tree, the two figures straightened, after carefully laying their weapons down.

"We saw your flying machine land and knew it wasn't one of those things machines. We've heard tales of our people fighting back with Terran weapons and took a chance it was you. Any chance of getting some weapons for us? There are six of us. I'm Galen Yar, by the way. This is my sister, Alona."

"Ardan Tearo, Vilna Station. Weapons, you say? We can't let you have Terran weapons, at least not the guns. We only have enough for our three teams, Vilna Station, Ansel Crossing and Tanart's Hold. But what we can let you have is one of those invaders tube weapons, fired only once that we know of, so there should be twenty-odd shots left. That and some crossbows. You should be able to make spare bolts for the crossbows without too much trouble, and we know for a fact that a properly placed crossbow bolt will stop one of those things."

"We'll take anything you can offer us," said Galen, "with only six of us we have to be careful what we do. We can't afford to be involved in a major conflict, we have to be irritants."

"Like vards," said his sister, with a grin.

"Yeah, like vards. Irritating beasties that aren't worth a major hunting effort because when you turn around, they're gone! That's us, in, nip, and away again."

"How close do you get?" asked Tor, awake now.

"Very close, sometimes. There are only two or three places where a flyer can put down in our area, and there are broken rock formations all round, lots of cover." Galen grinned. "They've learned not to follow us into the rocks."

Ardan had been thinking, and spoke up. "Okay, we'll give you the invaders tube weapon, four crossbows, with ten bolts for each, if you need more you'll have to make them."

"I think we can manage that."

"I'm also going to give you fifteen hand bombs," he said, reaching for one of the green spheres. "See, the ring here?"

Galen nodded. "Yes."

"Pull that out and the bomb is armed. You have about three seconds before it explodes, so make sure you are well away from it when it does. Lobbing one into a flyer from cover is one option, but I'm sure you'll think of others. Now this lot is going to be too heavy for the two of you so we'll wait until dark and then fly you back to your base, okay?"

Galen signalled assent. "I could fetch the others but the idea of a ride in a flyer is more appealing, eh, Alona?"

His sister grinned. "Absolutely."

Leara touched Ardan's shoulder. "I'm on watch now. You chat to our new friends, I'll just be over there." She pointed, then bent to give Ardan a brief, hot kiss, before making her way to her chosen watch point.

"I'd guess you two are a couple," said Alona, grinning.

"We are. One of these days, if we can find a priest, we'll get married. Both families said if we get the chance, go ahead with a wedding even if no-one from either family could be there."

Alona nodded. "Makes sense. One of our group is a priest. His temple was destroyed by the invaders. He takes no part in the actual fighting but in every other way he's a member of our team."

Ardan laughed. "Doubt we'll have time for a wedding, we need to get these weapons back to Vilna station and Ansel Crossing."

"Not to Tanart's Hold? Didn't you say they were the third group?"

"Yes, they are, but they have a captured flier of their own, and are on their way back with their own load of weapons. In fact, I was just about to check and see if all is well." Ardan reached for the communicator and raised it to his mouth, pressing the 'alert' button.

"Vilna 1 to Tanart 1?"

The answer was almost immediate. "Tanart 1, aye. Go ahead, Vilna 1." Dran's voice.

"Is all well with you? Over."

"All well. Flyer is tucked away under a polsi tree. An invaders flyer flew over a little while ago but gave no indication they'd seen us. You? Over."

"Much the same, except our cover is a gelin tree. However, we've made contact with another group, six members. We're giving them a captured tube weapon, four crossbows and fifteen of the green hand bombs. Over."

"Good to know we have allies. Pass on our good wishes. Over."

Ardan laughed. "You just did. Two of them are listening in. Contact again an hour after full dark. Vilna 1 out." He turned to the two visitors. "We have a couple of spare communicators, I'll leave one with you. Channel one is the general channel, which will alert all three of our groups, channels two to ten are for our three groups, three channels each. I suggest you use channel eleven. If we need to contact you we'll call on channel eleven. We'll test as we go and see if we can still communicate with you when we're back at the Station. If we can, you can let us know if there's any unusual invader activity." He gestured. "We'll need a call sign for you. The three already in use are Vilna 1, Ansel 1 and Tanart 1, so something sufficiently different not to be confused with those three, but meaningful to you. Suggestions?"

Galen and his sister looked at each other. "Our home base is Polldo Ford," said Alona, "why not Polldo 1. It's different enough to the other call signs not to be confused."

Her brother nodded. "Fine with me. Polldo 1 it is. Now you'd better show us how to use these things."

The six of them were chatting generally when, bang on time, the Vilna communicator chirped. "Tanart 1 to Vilna 1." Velna's voice.

"Vilna 1, aye."

"All well here. No sign of invaders. You? Over."

"All clear here as well. We're going to drop our new friends off at Polldo Ford, and then head home. Communication check every ten minutes, or as dictated by terrain. If there are any big lumps in the way, make sure we can still hear each other when we're past them. Over."

"Understood. Tanart 1 out."

"Big lumps?" said Galen, a puzzled look on his face.

"Hills, mountains, anything that might block a signal for the communicator. We're still learning what these things can do, which is why I want you to take a part in the testing. It will be good if we can still communicate with you once we're back at Vilna Station."

"And Ansel Crossing," added Leara.

"And Ansel Crossing. First, though, let's get you back to your base. You'll need to guide me. For now, let's get the flyer into the open."

With six of them on board, plus the cargo, Ardan was pleased it was only a short flight. Four cautious figures watched them set down, relaxing once they recognised Galen and Anola. Once introductions had been made, they quickly unloaded the promised crossbows and explosive spheres, but after a hurried discussion with Leara, Tor and Kira, Ardan added two of the energy weapons.

"Be very careful with those and don't point them anywhere near your own people. The only problem is that we have no idea how long the weapon will be usable. Probably quite a while, but we don't know that. We do know that the Terran flyer is good for two years, according to my grandfather. And yes, he's Terran. Now, get these weapons into your favourite hidey-holes."

That done, Ardan found himself next to Asala's priest, Fenn Barden. He grinned, prompting a smile from Barden.

"What?" he said.

"If we had more time, I might have been asking you to marry Leara and I. Both families have said, if we get the chance, do it, even if they couldn't be there. But there's no temple here."

Barden smiled again, and reached into the front of the loose tunic he was wearing, revealing a pendant, which Ardan recognised was formed into the sign of Asala. "With this, anywhere I am can be considered a temple to Asala."

"I didn't know that, but we still have the time problem. We need to get going, get these other weapons back to our own people."

"How long can you spare?"

"An hour, maximum."

"Ardan, most ot the usual wedding ceremony is gloss, pomp and froth added for guests to realise they're attending something important. The actual legal and sacred parts of the ceremony I can perform in less than ten minutes, with another few minutes for me to provide the verifying document. If you and Leara wish to be married, here and now, I would be honoured to perform the ceremony for you."

Ardan stared at him for a moment, then grinned. "I'd better let the bride know. Excuse me for a moment."

Forty minutes late later, two newly-married young people were accepting the congratulations of their friends, both old and new, and not long after that the flyer was on its way back to Vilna Station.

"Time to check with Velna and the others," said Ardan. He picked up the communicator. "Vilna 1 to Tanart 1. Do you read me?"

"Loud and clear, Vilna 1." Dran's voice was clear. "We're approaching the last ridge before the Hold. You wanted to test as we go over, yes?"

"Yes,Tanart 1. Please keep talking as you go over the ridge. " Ardan laughed. "Or recite poetry or something. Over."

They could hear Dran laughing. "The only poetry I know is the epic sagas, and I'll be damned if I recite those! No, I'll just keep talking. Okay we're about half a klick before the ridge, no signs of any enemy flyers. Quarter of a klick ... topping the ridge now. Tanart's Hold now in sight. No unexpected activity ... we've been sighted, we're being signalled to come straight in ... one hundred metres ... okay, Tanart 1 has landed safely. Over."

"Thank you, Tanart 1. We are about to cross the last ridge before Vilna Station ... okay, crossing the ridge now, Vilna Station temporary base now in sight, half a klick ... a quarter ... they've spotted us, signalled us straight in. Vilna 1 landing now ... Vilna 1 down safely. Can you still hear me, Tanart 1? Over."

"Loud and clear, Vilna 1."

"Communication tests as agreed earlier. For now, though, Vilna 1 out." Ardan paused, and changed the channel. "Vilna 1 calling Polldo 1. Do you read? Over."

The voice was clear, although Ardan was unsure of which of the Polldo Ford team it was. "Loud and clear, Vilna 1. Over."

"Okay, Polldo 1. Communication test later, as agreed. For now, Vilna 1 out."

Ardan's parents were among the small group waiting as the flyer set down, and Ardan took Leara's hand as they greeted his parents.

"Mama, father, may I introduce my wife, Leara?"

Dheera's face lit up and she reached out to embrace Leara. "You managed to find a priest, I'm so glad for you both."

"Yeah, there's a group of six at Polldo Ford. One of them, Fenn Barden, is a priest. He married us. We gave them some weapons," Ardan added, grinning.

His father laughed "A somewhat different marriage fee to the usual."

"Yes, and a somewhat different ceremony. Apparently, if they leave out the added froth that's there to suit a large congregation, the actual marriage can be performed in about ten minutes. Quite refreshing after that last wedding we went to." Ardan gestured. "Can we unload the Vilna Station weapons. Lea and I still have to let Alna know she now has a son-in-law!"

With willing hands, unloading didn't take long, and about half an hour after they'd landed, the Terran flyer lifted off to fly over the ridge to Ansel Crossing, with Ardan, Leara and Kira on board. The Ansel Crossing team were expecting them and Alna and Porl Vellik were waiting, along with about six volunteers ready to carry the weapons and other finds away. Leara moved straight into her mother's embrace, then broke away, reaching for Ardan's hand. She turned back to her mother.

"Mama? Remember you told us that if we got the chance, we should marry, even if no one from either family could be there? Well, we got the chance, and I have been Ardan's wife for almost half a day now."

A broad smile spread slowly across Alna's face and she held out her arms, embracing Ardan and Leara as they moved towards her.

"May the goddess smile on you both, my children," she said, kissing each of them. "The marriage feast will be a simple one tonight, I fear." She turned to Ardan,

"Ardan, when a Hinazi girl marries out of the clan, she moves to her husband's home, but the first night after marriage is spent in a Hinazi bed. Tonight, you stay with us."

"Just as my mother told me it would be," said Ardan. "I'm not expected home before tomorrow."

"Good. Now tell me about the wedding." Alna laughed. "I wish I'd been there."

"So do we, Mama. But Fenn Barden, he's the priest at Polldo Ford, the one that married us, says that he would be honored to perform a celebratory ceremony when this fight is over," said Leara.

"Something to look forward to, then. Now, the two of you, find somewhere to rest and I'll see what sort of a marriage feast we can organise."

Simple, but satisfying, was the answer some time later, Ardan and Leara happily accepting the congratulations of the Ansel Crossing people. Eventually, though, it was time for them to be escorted to the marriage bed. Alna had arranged for a tent to be erected for them, away from the main camp, but still in territory known to be invader-free, and they were escorted there by an honor guard, who absented themselves speedily once the young couple were safely within.

Inside the tent, in the shade, the two lovers kissed, long, sweet, promising. Breaking the kiss, Leara stepped back. Holding Ardan's eyes with hers, she pulled at the ties of her dress and let it crash soundlessly to the floor. She smiled.

"Take me, husband, take me as your wife for the first time."

Hurriedly, Ardan disrobed, and Leara's smile broadened when she saw his erection, a smile which broadened further as he picked her up and laid her on their makeshift bed. She lay back, spreading her legs.

"Now, husband, now!"

Holding her eyes with his, Ardan pushed gently into her soaking pussy, but even as wet as she was, and she was wet, he needed to pull back and press in again before he was rooted within her. She smiled up at him, squeezing lightly with her inner muscles.

"You realise, don't you," she said, "this is the first time we've been able to make love without watching out for invaders at the same time?"

He grinned. "Yes, so let's make it good."

Her smile faded. "It's always good, with you. I love you."

"And I love you, my darling. Now hush, and let's concentrate on making each other feel good."

She stretched up and kissed his nose. "Feel better, you mean, I already feel good!" She squeezed down on him again. "Love me, sweetheart, love me!"

"That's my plan!"

Mid-morning found them stowing Leara's belongings on the Terran flyer, ready for the short flight back to the Vilna Station camp. They'd made love three times through the night, delighting in each other, conscious that this was an interlude in a time of conflict. Now they were ready to take their places in the conflict.

The flyer loaded, they turned to Alna, who had been assisting them. Leara hugged her mother.

"Farewell, Mama," she said, "not goodbye, I'll only be on the other side of the ridge, and I'll try to get back to see you as often as I can."

"I know you will, my darling." Alna turned to Ardan, hugging him, kissing his cheek. "Take care of my daughter, son."

"I will, Mother, I will. You have my word. For now, though, farewell."

"Go with the goddess, children, and may Asala keep you ever safe."

Once the flyer lifted off, Ardan set course for the Vilna Station camp, but they had only been in the air for a few minutes when Lea touched Ardan's arm.

"Yes, sweet?"

"Can we check on the keeta on the way? It's been ages. I know we both feel better with them on the plateau pasture, away from the conflict, but I miss them."

"No problem, just adds a little time to our journey," said Ardan, and headed the flyer towards their new destination.

Despite their fondness for the big cats, and their appreciation of the animals' instincts, Ardan and Leara had agreed that they would be happier if the keeta were established away from the conflict and had transported them to a plateau area high on the ridge between Vilna Station and Ansel crossing, broken ground, no flat areas for a flyer to set down, the area was well away from any habitation which might attract the invaders and plenty of small game for the cats. The animals had seemed to understand the reasoning and had made no attempt to board the flyer when they left the big cats behind. There was only one viable landing spot on the plateau, essentially a big flat rock only just big enough for the flyer, but only about a half metre high. Ardan headed for the spot and Leara touched his arm.

"Look! They're waiting for us, it's as if they knew we were coming."

"Perhaps they did. We know they have some sort of special mental ability, perhaps they read our minds."