“Pu lio,” she said.

  Whatever that meant. The transport hit the waterfall, sinking through it without the spray of water or the downward pressure of the volume falling on top of them. It bypassed the rock face as well, entering a large, open cavern.

  “A hologram,” Caleb said, feeling stupid for reacting the way he did. Of course the Inahri weren’t going to throw themselves into a mountain right after they went through the trouble of shooting down an opposing craft. He had gotten a deeper rest than he had planned, proving his level of exhaustion.

  He recovered, shifting his position so he could see out better, taking in the landscape of the Inahri settlement.

  It was nowhere near as impressive as he expected. The ample space was occupied by an assortment of vehicles at the front, a series of small, metal structures randomly placed around the center, which was an open, generally circular space. A set of large machines rested against the back, including the holographic generator, which was casting light forward to create the illusion of the waterfall. Everything in the cavern was dirty and dusty. Everything was coated in a layer of green-purple moss. The dampness was evident, as was the coolness. Inahri were moving between the structures, each of them dressed in thicker robes, tunics, shirts or pants in an assortment of styles he would have expected to find in a mall on Earth. They paused to look up at the transport as it descended toward the surface.

  They were almost on the ground when a squad of armored soldiers emerged, running toward the ship, from the structure nearest the landing area. Caleb glanced back at Za Tsi, making sure she wasn’t concerned with the reaction. The satisfied smirk stuck to her face told him she wasn’t.

  Caleb heard a groan at the back of the transport. He leaned over to see past the Inahri soldier. Dante was waking up, shifting against the restraint of the dampener and rubbing at her head. Her eyes opened, taking in the transport full of Inahri , her fear evident.

  “Dante,” Caleb said, the word getting both Dante and Za Tsi’s attention.

  “Sergeant?” she replied. “What’s going on?”

  “I’m not sure yet. But Za Tsi brought us to an Inahri outpost of some kind.”

  “Za Tsi?”

  “Za Tsi.” The soldier pointed to herself. “Caleb.” She pointed at him.

  “Sam Dante,” Caleb said, motioning to Dante.

  “Sammante,” Za Tsi said. She coughed a short laugh.

  “Does that mean they aren’t going to kill us and eat us?” Dante asked.

  “No guarantees,” Caleb said. “We’re still learning to communicate.”

  “We’re not dead. I guess that’s good, right?”

  “That’s what I’ve been going with.”

  “Roger that.” She tried to move, groaning. “I think I broke a rib.”

  “Washington got thrown into you during the flight,” Caleb said.

  “That explains it.”

  The transport shook slightly as it hit the ground. Za Tsi and the other Inahri soldiers got to their feet. A hatch opened on the back right side. Za Tsi put her hand out, palm up, signaling Caleb to stay where he was. She let the pilot move past her and then followed her soldiers out of the hatch, which closed behind her and left the Guardians alone in the vessel.

  “Do you think you can fly it?” Dante asked. “Get us out of here?”

  “Doubtful,” Caleb replied.

  “What happened?”

  “They got us in the Axon city-ship. Some kind of stun weapon. I woke up here, just like you.”

  “Not just like us. How come you got a first-class seat?”

  “I think I earned their respect. After they stunned you and Kiaan, I tried to charge them.”

  Dante laughed. “Are you kidding? You’re lucky you aren’t dead.”

  “I’m not sure I’m lucky about that just yet. We were attacked on the way here. Another Inahri ship. Our pilot was better.”

  “So the Inahri are at war with one another? Do you have any good news to share?”

  Caleb opened his mouth, trying to think of something. He was saved when the hatch opened again.

  “Caleb,” Za Tsi said, barking his name as an order. He stood and crossed to the hatch. She reached out and took his wrist, gripping it tightly as though she was claiming him as property.

  Maybe that’s precisely what she was doing.

  He dropped onto the stone floor, and she walked him a few steps to where another Inahri was waiting, flanked by a second group of soldiers in combat armor. This man was older, his head bald, his face wrinkled. He was wearing a heavy purple robe, cinched at the waist with some type of powered belt. He eyed Caleb disinterestedly.

  Caleb stood in front of him, unsure of what to do next.

  “Yifou,” the man said.

  Za Tsi moved in front of him, reaching her hand beneath the collar of his combat armor and pulling.

  Caleb pulled back, ripping himself out of her grip. Immediately, two soldiers took his arms, holding them tight.

  “Caleb,” Za Tsi said. She pointed to his armor and made a motion like she was tearing it.

  “You want me to take it off?” he said.

  She repeated the motion.

  “They need to let go.” He eyed the soldiers holding him. Za Tsi said something, and they let him go.

  He reached for the combat armor’s clasps. It was a little more challenging with one hand, but he managed to disengage them and shimmy out of the armor. He heard the soldiers hiss around him when he did, and he saw one of them staring at his replacement arm. They had thought it was part of his suit.

  The older man stepped forward and pushed up the sleeve of his underclothes, checking his arm for something. He repeated the process on the other arm, and then turned him around and checked his back, making an audible sound when he saw the scars from the trife claws. He turned Caleb back around and stepped away. He tapped the belt before crossing his arms behind him.

  They all stood in place. Caleb heard footsteps a moment later, and he turned to see a dark humanoid form walking toward them. An Intellect.

  Caleb’s heart started to race. What the hell was this? The Inahri and Axon were enemies, weren’t they?

  The Intellect approached, coming to a stop beside the man, who tapped his belt again. Caleb noticed something flash on the side of the Intellect’s neck, and he realized the man was controlling it.

  “Caleb,” Za Tsi said. He looked at her. She pointed to her mouth, and then to his. Then she let out a stream of words.

  “Inahrai,” the Intellect said.

  “What are you supposed to be?” Caleb asked it. “Some kind of iron monkey?”

  “Earth,” the Intellect said. “English.” It paused. “I am not a monkey. I am an Inahri Intellect.” It spoke perfect Earth English.

  The man spoke in Inahrai . The Intellect spoke, translating. “I am General Goi. You are prisoners under my command. You will do exactly as I say, or you will die. Do you understand?”

  Chapter 12

  “I understand,” Caleb said in response to General Goi’s statement. The Intellect translated the answer, making for an awkward exchange that was only going to continue.

  “Sergeant Tsi will take you and your soldiers to your barracks,” Goi said. “You will be given a short time to become acclimated. Then you will be brought before me for interrogation. Do you understand?”

  Caleb didn’t hesitate. He jumped to attention. “Yes, sir,” he snapped back in perfect form. Inside, he was feeling the tension of the situation. He wasn’t about to show it.

  Goi seemed pleased with the reaction. He nodded slightly. “Sergeant, take them to their barracks.” He started turning away, and then paused, looking back at Caleb. “I expect you will keep your soldiers in line?”

  “Yes, sir,” Caleb replied.

  Goi continued back into the line of structures, together with his entourage. Tsi and her squad stayed with him, and she motioned to the transport doors. One of her squad members opened the hatch.

  “Tell them to come out,” she said to Caleb, through the Intellect’s translation.

  “Guardians,” Caleb said. “A-TEHN-SHUN!”

  They didn’t come as quickly as he would have liked, but they had been through a lot, and only Washington was a real Marine. When they did show, Washington was in the lead, moving deliberately to show the others how it was done.

  “Line up!” Caleb said.

  They moved into a line in front of him, again guided by Washington. They looked tired and sore, their combat armor scuffed, scraped and streaked with blood. Kiaan pulled up the rear, surprising Caleb with his almost correct posture.

  “This is Sergeant Tsi,” Caleb said, concluding za was a title equivalent to sergeant and not part of her name. “She’ll be taking us to our barracks to get situated before debriefing. As of this moment, it has been made clear to me that we are prisoners under General Goi, who I assume is the leader of this camp?”

  “Chi,” Tsi replied. Yes.

  “Prisoners in a barracks?” Dante said. “Not a cell?”

  “I’m sure we’ll get to that,” Caleb said. “For now, I expect you to follow my orders to the letter, and not cause any trouble. You will answer me with yes, Sergeant.”

  “Yes, Sergeant!” Dante, Paige, and Kiaan said. Washington nodded his head.

  “This one did not respond,” Tsi said, glaring at Washington.

  “He can’t talk,” Caleb replied. “You can see the injuries to his face and throat. They go deeper, to his vocal cords.”

  “I understand,” Tsi said. She said something to one of her soldiers, who ran away from the area. “Private Gol will retrieve Doctor Amali. She will examine your soldier.”

  “His name is Private John Washington,” Caleb said. “We call him Wash for short.”

  Washington gave them the thumbs-up in response.

  “I do not need their names. They are your team. They fall under you. You are responsible for anything they do.”

  “Yes, Sergeant,” Caleb said.

  They remained at attention for nearly a minute, until an elderly woman returned with Private Gol. Tsi spoke to the woman, and then the woman walked over to Washington and spoke.

  “Come with me,” the Intellect translated.

  Washington looked at Caleb. He seemed like he wanted to go. Why not? The Inahri were calling them prisoner but treating them with a measure of respect. Or at least, treating him with respect. Their technology was more advanced. Depending on how much the Axon had shared with them, it could be hundreds of thousands of years more advanced.

  Caleb nodded. “Permission granted. Do whatever she tells you, and nothing else.”

  The Doctor started walking away. Washington followed behind her, flanked by Private Gol.

  “The guard isn’t necessary,” Caleb said. “He’s a good Marine.”

  “Perhaps in time,” Tsi replied. “What is a Marine?” She had trouble pronouncing the word. The Inahri didn’t have an equivalent.

  “A warrior. Like a soldier, but different training.”

  “I understand. Is that why you did not run?”

  “In part.”

  “Follow me.”

  She turned and walked across the cavern floor, past the assembled craft to the left side of the makeshift village. The structures were all composed of what appeared to be seamless earth, rising from the floor like dozens of anthills of various heights and lengths. Other Inahri were moving among them, most of them in matching tunics and pants. Uniforms. Each of them had a small pin on the left shoulder that emitted a hologram containing different symbols, which Caleb took to be their name, rank, and hardware.

  “Is everyone here a soldier?” Caleb asked. The Intellect walked beside him, translating the question.

  “We are all of the Free Inahri ,” she replied. “We are soldiers by need, not want.”

  “But you killed the Axon?”

  “Long ago. They enslaved us. Used us.”

  “But you found us in the city-ship, and your reaction is to stun us and take us prisoner?”

  It was too blunt, too soon. Tsi stopped and whirled on him, her eyes fierce. “It is not the same. You know nothing of us, Earther.”

  Caleb lowered his head. He was usually more tactful. “You’re right. My apologies, Sergeant.”

  She turned around again, leading them past some of the buildings. Caleb tried to look into them, but all of their doors were closed, their windows opaque.

  “We have to be sure you are not with the Relyeh. We have to be sure you will have value to us. We do not have resources to nurture those without value.”

  “We didn’t come here alone. We came on a ship.”

  “We are aware of your ship.”

  “Why didn’t you come to us there? Why didn’t you make yourselves known?”

  “Because Arluthu is also aware of your ship.”

  Chapter 13

  “Who?” Caleb asked.

  “Arluthu is the Relyeh who subverted the Inahri,” Tsi replied. “He twisted their minds, and now they belong to him.”

  “But you don’t?”

  “We are immune to his lies.”

  Caleb had a thousand more questions, but he figured it would be better to ask them in the presence of General Goi. If this Inahri militia were anything like Earth military, there would be only so much Tsi could say.

  Caleb reached over and tapped on his dead arm. “This needs to be recharged. Do you think you would be able to help me with that?”

  “An interesting device. Your enemies don’t always go for the kill?”

  “Oh, they do. They just don’t always succeed.”

  Tsi laughed softly. “Yes, Pai can help you replenish your battery.”

  They walked in silence for a short distance more, before Sergeant Tsi came to a stop in front of one of the anthills, pausing in front of the closed door. It opened a moment later, a small, somewhat humanoid robot moving out from it.

  “Za Tsi,” it said, speaking to her.

  “Intellect,” Tsi said. “You will transfer your Earth language data to the Pai.”

  “Assurance,” the Intellect replied. It moved to the small robot, placing its hand on it. Tendrils snaked out from its fingers and into the machine.

  “How do you control it?” Caleb asked. “The Intellect.”

  “The Axon enslaved us,” Tsi said. “They underestimated our intelligence and our motivation. We turned the collars back on them. The Intellects have value, but they were difficult to capture. We have only three.” She pointed to a small device on its neck—a control collar.

  The Intellect removed its hand from the machine. “It is done.”

  “Try speaking to it,” Tsi said.

  “What is it?” Caleb asked.

  “A service robot. It will assist you with basic tasks and control your barracks.”

  “And watch and listen to everything we say?”

  “To listen, yes. But it is programmed to respond to keywords, none of which are listed in your language. It will not know how to process your conversations effectively.” She faced Caleb, reaching up and putting her fingers lightly against his chest. “I believe you are brave and courageous, and that you will bring value. You made it through the uluth in the jungle, and you defeated the Intellects guarding the city. You also refused to leave your comrades behind. I am putting my trust in you, warrior to warrior. I believe you can bring honor to me, and yourself. You are a prisoner today, but it doesn’t have to remain that way. Do you understand?”

  Caleb nodded. “Roger that, Sergeant Tsi.”

  The Intellect didn’t know how to translate “Roger.” Tsi looked at him quizzically.

  “It means, I hear you and will do as you say,” he said.

  “Roger,” she repeated, removing her hand.

  Caleb smiled. “Exactly.”

  “Pai will be your guide inside the barracks. Please try speaking to it.”

  “Pai, do you understand me?” Caleb asked.

  “Yes,” the robot responded in a flat, synthesized voice. “What do you require?”

  “A quick tour of the facility, I guess,” Caleb replied.

  “Roger,” Pai said. “Follow me.”

  The robot turned and walked back inside. Caleb looked at Tsi again, making eye contact. “Thank you,” he said.

  Her face darkened slightly. Was she blushing? “Do not disappoint me, Caleb.”

  “My job is to protect the people I came here with,” he replied. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep them safe. Do you understand?”

  “Yes. I will take my leave of you now. Private Anzi will stand guard. I will return when General Goi is ready to meet with you.”

  She bowed slightly to him, and then she walked back the way they had come with all of her unit except Private Anzi, who took a guard position beside the door.

  “Come on, Guardians,” Caleb said, leading them into the barracks.

  The room wasn’t much different than what Caleb expected. It was a small space, with the mattresses arranged in a rotating pattern around a central beam that split the center of it, offering a spiral step-like layout to get from bottom to top. There were three lockers on either side of the rack, a pair of flat metal surfaces against the wall beside those, and two other devices at the back which looked like a shower and a toilet of some kind.

  There was also an open space at the front of the barracks, with a small table that looked to have been cut from a single piece of stone in the center and carefully arranged hooks affixed to the walls on either side. Caleb spent a moment looking at the pattern of the hooks, trying to determine what they were for.

  “Combat armor,” Dante said, noticing his face. “I don’t think we’ve earned it yet.”

  “We’re lucky to be alive,” Caleb replied.

  “Thanks to you. You’re so courageous and brave.” She smiled and fluttered her eyes at him, drawing a laugh.