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  As Mack made it first into the partly shaded clearing, he stopped abruptly. In the distance, past the trees on the other side of the clearing, he saw the tall silver back of the colonist's ship.

  “Is that -”

  “The ship they arrived in, yes...” Mack replied, as Jody looked at him in alarm.

  “Where the hell are they?”

  “I was just thinking the same thing,” added Jinx, his gaze nervously darting left to right, taking in the sight of a long extinguished campfire, scattered pots and pans and a broken down, abandoned foundation for what would have been the colony's first building, “It's like they just upped and left...”

  Then he stepped back, avoiding a trickle of water that ran through the moist soil, leaking from a broken bank of a shallow stream nearby.

  “Where did they go?” he said.

  Then something small and pale was chased along inches from his boot as the water continued to leak. He looked down and gave a cry of alarm, the others looked, Cora gave a gasp as she saw it, and Felix stopped the flow of panic as the group all reacted differently to the sight of the severed finger that had had just bumped against his boot as he stopped the trickle from the stream.

  “What the fuck...” murmured Mack, and he looked sharply to Jinx.

  “I really hope it was just an accident!” he said as his face paled.

  Then Jody yelled out in alarm as she stumbled back from the edge of the stream, her hand pressed against the bark of a tree as she turned from the stench of the rotting flesh as flies buzzed loudly.

  Mack was there first, followed by Jinx, who coughed and gagged and turned sharply away, waving off Cora and Tina as he shook his head – this was not a sight they needed to see...

  “Oh fuck...no, no, fuck this...” stammered Zeke, his face paling as he looked down the ditch and into the stream, where there lay a pile of body parts all mixed together, dumped in a heap as if a butcher had set to work and then dumped the less desirable of the meat. The flesh was drained of all blood - either it had been deliberately drained or the water had washed it away - but flesh lay in lumps over hands and feet and severed heads, eyes were rotted or missing, the mouths hanging open and darkly bloody, minus teeth where gums had been ripped open, and the flies swarmed dizzy and the buzzing sounded like a throng that echoed through the silence of the forest.

  “What the fuck are we dealing with?” Zeke cried in panic as he backed off from the ditch, his face pale as fear shone in his eyes.

  “I don't know,” Mack said honestly as the stink of the rotting flesh made his throat go tight, “But who ever did this had been and gone...I'd say a few days ago... It has been known in small colonies to occasionally have a member go crazy...killing themselves or others...no matter how how tight the screening process is for these missions, tragedies do still happen...I think that's what happened here...Some poor soul must have thought about how far they were from home and lost their mind out here in the wilderness... I doubt we'll find any survivors, but we have a duty to look.”

  “We have a duty to get the fuck back to the Pharaoh, report this to earth and open up the weapons unit!” Jinx said as fear shone in his eyes, “There's a lunatic out here with...an axe or a blade and he's going to do the same to us as he did to those poor bastards in the ditch!”

  He heard faint sounds of weeping and looked around to see Cora with her hand over her mouth as she stifled a sob, as Zeke clutched his arms tightly about his body as he shivered and gave a gasp of shock and blinked away tears. Tina was crying silently, trembling and pale. Jules had taken a small device from his pocket and his face was pale too as he watched for the soil sample within to be analysed. As the tiny device bleeped, he read the numbers on the display and shook his head.

  “Mack...there's indication of high levels of AU 197 trace, that's gold, I'd expect to find that...and Android Loslium fluid...that would tie in with the worker droids being here, most likely from the mining days...also more recent evidence of blood, bone and tissue heavy in the soil...” he looked up from the device, “My opinion? They're all dead. The colonists were all slaughtered, right here.”

  Someone gave another sob, and it sounded like Cora. Mack didn't look around to check, instead he looked from the scientist to his best friend.

  “We need to check the ship. If they have an escape pod maybe we should think about activating it - ours was lost when we started breaking up on descent.”

  “Best idea you've had all day!” Jinx said, sounding hugely relieved, “Let's get out of here and we can call earth on the way back and tell them what we found. This is no place for us, they need to send in a military unit!”

  Mack nodded.

  “Follow me,” he said, and he drew out his weapon, switched it on and cranked up the power to highest level, then led the way down the shaded parting in the trees where in the distance, the forest opened up into a wide, bright open clearing, where the colonist's ship sat like a gleaming silver monster, out of place in this wilderness.

  The pathway was wide but the huge limbs of the tall trees stretching sun ward shaded out all chance of light filtering through as the forest in gloom fell to a shade of muted green. They were almost at the end of the dark, sunless walk, and the chill in the air was noticeable due to the lack of sunlight. Jody shivered as she looked behind her, wondering why she had just got that eyes on the back of the neck feeling, it was fleeting, then gone.

  Something rustled in the trees, sending the lower limbs shaking as if creatures ran about the branches, hidden by the heavy leaves.

  “Keep walking,” Mack whispered, his hand lowered slowly to his gun, as he drew it out and clutched at it, his gaze scanning the heavy coverage up ahead as trees shook and leaves shivered, he was back in military mode. It surprised him how fast he could pull up his training after all these years, but glad of it. He was the only one who was armed, the only one who could defend these people from harm...

  “What is that?” Jinx whispered as he watched the shaking branches.

  “No idea but I'm ready for it,” Mack murmured, and then he looked back to the others.

  “We keep going, we're almost there...”

  Cora gave a whimper and Jody grabbed her arm, pulling her along as her now scuffed ballet pumps made reluctant, dragging steps, her gaze fixed on the shivering trees as they edged closer to the clearing where sunlight seemed to promise such safety once more.

  Then hell seemed to rain down in an instant as bodies fell head first from the trees, bouncing up and down on ropes tied to the ankles as the toothless, eyeless corpses danced naked and pale, their throats cut and the stench of death filling the air.

  There were screams and cries of shock from the ground, then men clad in dark, short robes began to drop from the trees. Their skin had a pale gleam to it as if gold itself mixed into their flesh, their eyes were starkly white with irises so black it was impossible to see the pupils, they leered, grinning as they surrounded the group, closing in, encircling the terrified crew as the women screamed and the men shouted in alarm. As the creature's lips parted, white, spiked teeth showed in double rows. They wore necklaces of bone and their faces were marked with swirling tribal tattoos. As they raised gleaming knives curved scythe-like, Mack's hand shifted fast, shoving his weapon back to its holster as he stepped away, his back hitting Jody's as the others all crowded in together, as the men with the strange teeth and black eyes circled them tightly.

  “Stay calm!” Mack ordered in a shaken voice, “Let me handle this...”

  Then as his crew huddled closer, he felt Cora's hand slip into his, and he gripped it tightly, not looking back at her as he looked instead into the eyes of the alien whose teeth gleamed unearthly in the green hue that surrounded the pathway.

  “Our mission is peaceful...We are from earth...we mean you no harm! Peaceful... Peace...We are not a threat to your people!”

  The leader of the group smiled wider, licked his lips with a tongue that darted pointed and fast, then he slammed his elbo
w into Mack's face, and the world turned dark as pitch.

  Chapter 5

  Mack was woken with an aching head as Jody said his name and shook him again. He gave a groan and opened his eyes.

  “Don't fight them!” she whispered, as his eyes opened wide, shock chasing away all trace of the daze his aching head had caused:

  He was in a metallic holding cell along with the others, a metal grille barred the window, and through it he saw the escape pod on the other side of the settlement, looking out of place with its hatch up and a silken drape covering the entrance. Beside it stood crude huts with straw set on the rooftops, and as the women of the tribe sat around in sheer silken gowns, the men toiled, building, cooking, cleaning garments.

  Jody leaned closer to Mack and kept her voice low as she whispered her observations:

  “We're in the holding cells of the former colony ship – they sliced out the front of it, opened it up like a tin can, there's steps and a main doorway exposed – leading I guess to living quarters. The escape pod...I don't know what state it's in but someone is using it as a home. I've been watching them – the men do all the work, the chores, the hunting, the guarding...the women are superior. When they pass by the men bow low to the ground – watch...”

  Mack looked through the grille to see a female alien, her shapely body wrapped in a pale blue robe, pass by the males who worked nearby as they built another hut. The men stopped working, fell to their knees, bowing as the woman gave no sign of appreciation and passed them by.

  ”What the hell is this place?” Mack whispered.

  “Some kind of settlement,” Jody replied “But it can't be the main one...there are no families here, no children...and there are huge steel gates at the entrance to this place...the forests are constantly guarded, too. I'm guessing this is some kind of palace... the rest of the population must be scattered all over. But this place...we are definitely in the palace of who ever runs this tribe...”

  “Are we all okay?” he asked, suddenly thinking of the others. He looked across the cell and saw Cora huddled against the steel wall, she was trembling and her face was pale. Over in the corner, Jinx sat hugging his knees to his chest as he blinked away tears.

  “They're going to kill us!” he said as fear shone in his eyes.

  “Not if I can help it,” Mack promised, “Pull yourself together, we need to keep the women safe.”

  On hearing those words, Jinx nodded, then he straightened up, wiped his eyes and looked through the mesh that divided between the two cells. In the other cell sat Jules and Tina and Zeke. All looked equally terrified. Zeke looked through the mesh and spoke at once.

  “I think Jody's right...it looks like the females run the tribe. The men are submissive...that's what we need to be, Mack...”

  And Mack stared at him, wondering if Zeke had gone crazy.

  “I have a gun!”

  “And one shot will be all you get!” Jody reminded him sharply, “We're trapped here!”

  Jinx looked to his best friend.

  “Seven days till the ship arrives... I say we do what ever it takes to survive! I'm not dying here, I'm not! We have to find a way to get on with these people...adapt and survive...whatever it takes!”

  Mack nodded, glancing around to see through the other side of the mesh that the guards were not watching, and he turned off his hand held blaster, then he offered it to Jody.

  “Just in case,” he said.

  She took it from him and slipped it into the pocket of her combat trousers.

  “I don't think its us women who have anything to fear,” she whispered, “The men were firm but gentle with us. They punched Zeke and threw Jules into the cells. They would have thrown you too but me and Cora said no and they seemed to understand so they let us bring you inside. This is a matriarchal tribe. All women are respected – even us humans. I think Rik's right, you need to behave like the men of the tribe...if you show resistance, they'll kill you!”

  Mack thought back to the slaughtered colonists, the sight of the body parts in the ditch and then the naked bodies dancing on ropes from the trees drained of all blood...

  “When the ship comes for us,” he whispered, “They'll stand no chance unless one of us gets back there and warns them. Tell them to send earth defence, too – this planet needs fucking nuking!”

  “But how?” Jody's face paled, “None of us can get past that lot! They have weapons, Mack!”

  He leant back against the steel wall and gave a heavy sigh as he thought hard, trying to ignore the pounding in his head from blow that had knocked him out.

  “I've got the link to the comm device on my wrist...but if that sparks to life and they hear it the rescue party is dead as soon as they touch down! I can't reach earth control using this device it only links to the ship...What type of ship is this one?”

  That question had been directed to Jinx.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Just answer the question,Rik – I was more interested in passenger details than mode of transport...You're the one who never shuts up about how I should upgrade the Pharaoh – what type of ship are we on?”

  He swallowed hard, still chilled by fear.

  “One that's totally fucked, just like we are! I don't know, a mark One B Class standard carrier, I guess... They all come with a couple of holding cells like these, just in case any passengers cause trouble...the colony project uses cheap ships because it's one way trips with no more than forty on board so...yeah...I think I'm right, why?”

  “You're the ship enthusiast...what's the best way to get out of one of these things? I mean to escape from one of these cells and go under the ship and out through the hull?”

  Rik blinked.

  “It can't be done. Only way out is for the cell door to be unlocked, or to force out the grilles – which would make too much noise. The grilles are welded together.”

  Mack looked to Jody.

  “First chance you get, you make a run for the woods. Shoot anyone who gets in your way and get back to the Pharaoh and warn earth about the situation here!”

  She stared at him in disbelief.

  “I'll be hacked to pieces!”

  “You said they respect women and see them as superior. It gives you a much better chance than me or Jinx!”

  “I could do it,” Zeke said quietly.

  Mack looked over to his cell, noticing he was pale and trembling with shock.

  “No offence, but running security on a ship is nothing like facing a combat situation. If it was up to me, I would do this – but Jody's right – they'll kill us men and think nothing of it. A woman stands a better chance.”

  Jody looked to Mack and in that moment as she took in the sight of his bruises and the desperation in his eyes, there was much she wanted to say, but instead she condensed it into a brief and gentle kiss, then she nodded.

  “First chance I get,” she promised him.

  “And the rest of us,” Mack ordered, “Must do what ever it takes to survive...agreed?”

  Jinx nodded, so did Cora, then the others agreed too, Zeke whispering okay as Jules nodded and Tina could barely be heard as she added, I'll try... Then a door opened out in the corridor beyond, and they all looked up fearfully as two guards entered the room beyond the cells.

  One by one, the prisoners rose to their feet.

  “Keep away from the women!” Jinx said fiercely, pointing to the guards as defiance blazed in his eyes.

  Mack shot him a warning glance as he saw one of the guards had tightened his grip on the vicious blade he clutched at his side as he glared at Jinx through the grille.

  “Don't,” Mack said to his best friend, “Like Jody said, the women are safe. It's us men who need to worry!”

  The guards remained outside the two locked cells, watching the prisoners locked within. Then a roar went up from the crowd outside, and as they looked to the grille that gave a view of the alien settlement beyond, guards pulled back the silken drape, and every male dropped to their kn
ees in silence, falling forward, hands hitting the dirt as their heads bowed.

  The women who stood around did so in silence, and three of them gathered at the steps that led up to the escape capsule, as a tall, curvaceous female emerged dressed in a sheer gown that was almost transparent. Even at a distance her firm breasts were visible through the fabric, with noticeable points where her nipples stood hard, and lower down past hourglass hips, the shape of a bare triangle with a perfect slit was visible. Her skin had the same glow about it as the others, her hair was long and pale blonde and fell to her shoulders. Her eyes were pitch back and as she parted red lips, a double row of sharpened teeth were clearly visible. She walked through the parted crowd, approaching the vessel as the three women followed behind her, each one strangely alluring, their hair in shades of copper and gold, and their gowns in shades of blue.

  “I think she's coming in,” Mack murmured, and Jody gave his hand a squeeze.

  “Just remember...whatever it takes to survive,” she whispered, and Mack gave her a nod.

  Then the door was opened and the male guards bowed, but then stepped back allowing room for their queen to survey the contents of the holding cells.

  She placed a pale hand on the grille, looking in as her head tilted from side to side, a low growl sounded deep in her throat as she looked to Jody, then to Cora, then she looked across to the second cell, silently regarded the prisoners, and then gestured to Mack's cell and the guard stepped forward, unlocked it and stepped back again.

  As she entered the cell, Jody stayed on her feet, cautiously watching the alien queen as she paced around the cell, looking at each captive. When she reached Cora, she leant down, extending a hand, gently grasping the girl's tearful face and turning it towards her. Another low growl sounded, and her spiked teeth glittered as she smiled and Cora started to shake and cry uncontrollably.

  “Leave her alone -”

  Mack's warning look was enough to silence Jinx, who stood glaring at the queen with his back to the wall,and as she approached him, his anger slipped away as fear took over and he blinked away tears.